


Dappled Grove

by missusk



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, F/M, Himbo Leon, Hurt/Comfort, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, and also emotionally constipated leon, female reader/female pronouns for reader, sub-par wilderness survival tactics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 130,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24948727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missusk/pseuds/missusk
Summary: They were right. Here you are, lost, alone, and bleeding out. It was a nice run, you guess. Your life didn’t bother to flash before your eyes, since there wasn’t much that happened anyway. Even though you’ve already succumbed to breathing your last breath here in the Wild Area, this Charizard seems to think otherwise. Are you hallucinating? There’s a strange man with purple hair here, too.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader
Comments: 578
Kudos: 991





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: there is conceptualization/inferences of sexual assault in chapter 1 (not graphic, nor is it clearly stated, but it may be unsettling for some readers), though NO sexual assault takes place at ANY point in the story. Please take care of yourselves!  
> \--  
> Author's Note:  
> I just... I feel like the Wild Area would be absolutely brutal and be someplace that small children probably shouldn't trek through, and be reserved for master explorers or mountain climbers or something. Personally, I love how they displayed it in the Twilight Wings series, if you've seen that, so that's the type of landscape I'm imagining (if you haven't seen it, think Big and Beautiful and Wild, like an 80s perm). Here's a glimpse of what it could look like if your average young adult traipsed into the fricken wilderness with one level 7 Pokémon.  
> -  
> And, a brief disclaimer: If you yourself are soon planning to trek into the wilderness, please do not use this reader-insert Pokémon fanfiction as a guide, as I am also your average young adult who's never even been to summer camp (tragic, I know. I'm working through it). This is my first time working with present tense writing, so hopefully I did it right? & this piece is more experimental than anything, we'll see where it goes. I'd love your thoughts. Anyway, please enjoy reading :) - missusk

They were right, and you are going to die.

You reach down, graze your hand over your thigh, and inhale sharply. The sticky and warm liquid seeps between your fingers, much more quickly than what you’ve ever experienced before. Just as the lightning flashes over your head, the last words your parents said to you flash through your mind.

_A trainer?! Are you daft? You’re going to kill yourself out there, you won’t make it a week!_

_Your father’s right, honey, please, just stay home and work at the store with us. You can volunteer at the Pokémon Center if you really care about Pokémon that much. There’s plenty of nature here, if that’s what you want, maybe you can even help Professor Magnolia with her res-_

_You know what?! Just go! You don’t give a shit about this family anyway._

You gasp as another shock of lightning crashes to the ground.

Everything is silent for a while as your ears reverberate, then a high-pitched ringing shoots through your head. The catastrophic sound of bark cracking apart tears into your skull, and just as the tree beside you falls from the crack in its base, your head nearly tears apart from the sound. It's like the mantle of the earth is being forced apart beside you.

Though the tree branches viciously whip around you, there’s a small respite every time you blink.

Your father was right. This is only the fifth day in the Wild Area, and here you are, lying in the mud, your bag stolen, your phone broken, your only Pokémon gone, maybe even dead, and a gash in your thigh from the herd of Bewear. You were lucky they didn’t rip your stomach open, though.

The leaves of the trees are whipping above your head, and your eyes twitch as the rain stabs at your face. It’s hard to tell if it’s only rain that’s trickling down your cheeks, though. The smell of rotten berries permeates the air, but you can’t manage to sit up to get away from the stench. You can practically taste it, though, and it’s tinny. Or maybe that was from when you almost bit your tongue off when you fell from that tree, because at the time you were more focused on the sound of your wrist snapping. The wind is still howling, tearing into your ears, and as you exhale a shaky breath, the line repeats in your head.

They were right, and you are going to die.

Maybe it will be peaceful, though the thunder cracking and wild Pokémon screeching seem to kick that thought out pretty quickly. You heave in another shaky breath, only to wince when your lungs throb. You forgot the Onix hurled a rock into your chest within five minutes of stepping away from the train station.

Why did you think you could do this? How did you think you could do this? You’ve never left your hometown, you’ve only been camping in an RV, and the only Pokémon you’ve interacted with were, like, level 10 or under. You did see a level 18 Corvisquire once, though. That was pretty crazy. That entry will go down in your diary’s history. Hopefully whoever stole your bag will find it relatively interesting, if they bother to read that far in.

It’s the warm sting of tears that are trickling down now, a jarring juxtaposition from how the cold rain slashes your face.

Stupid.

They were right.

You should have stayed home, worked at the berry shop, and never dreamed about anything.

You heave another shaky breath.

Guess that doesn’t matter anymore. You wonder if your parents will be pleased that they were right.

Your eyes stay closed longer each time you blink.

A sharp bark cuts at your ears. You can barely flinch.

There it is again.

Something warm is against your cheek, something cold and wet pressing against your temple.

Another sharp bark, then it fades.

Though the storm whirls around you, the crunch of rocks beneath shoes seems to be growing louder. Are the Bewear back? Did that Pangoro follow you? Maybe it’ll be quick and painless. You hope so, but it’s not like you really have a say in the matter.

You hear another bark, and another. The barking is growing more consistent, and louder with each one. You hear a faint murmur, a faint voice, but you shove the thought out. Better not be hopeful, that’ll probably make this all the more painful.

Something flashes in your eyes, though it isn’t lightning this time.

You squeeze your eyes closed as the light shoots into you again, though the barking has stopped.

“Hey!”

You can’t manage to open your eyes, nor open your mouth to respond. Did you imagine that? Maybe it’ll happen again.

“Hey, you okay?”

It’s hard to decipher the words over the howling wind. The voice is deep, it must belong to a man. Or a Ghost Pokémon that’s come to steal your soul. You wouldn’t rule it out at this point.

The light is flickering, though it isn’t lightning, since that turns the whole sky white. This light is yellow, or maybe orange?

“Charizard, over here!” the voice calls. It’s closer than the last time.

You hear the crunch of gravel, then the squelch of mud beside your ear. Something is tugging at your arm. The grip is firm, strong, and you feel yourself being lifted. The mud around you is gurgling as it seeps into the space you were just lying. Although you can’t manage your voice out, a groan of pain slips from your mouth when your thigh throbs.

“We’ll get you somewhere dry, okay?” the voice calls over the wind.

You grunt in response, though this person or Ghost Pokémon or hallucination probably couldn’t hear it over the storm. You manage your eyes open to see trees moving past you. It’s not the tops of them, though, so you can affirm you really are off the ground. Where are you now, though?

Whatever is against your cheek is soft and firm, and your brows pull together at the realization that you’re being held by the owner of that voice. Definitely a man, you can feel his deep voice rumbling against you. He’s talking to you, though his words are hard to make out as your ear rubs against his chest, and your other is still ringing from when the lightning struck so close earlier.

He’s leaning down, his hair is brushing against your face, and you feel something sturdy behind you. The rain is still trickling, though it isn’t driving into your face like it has been.

“Charizard, I need light,” the man says. “There’s blood everywhere, I’ve got to find where it’s coming from.”

That orange light is getting closer, and suddenly heat sears into your open wound. You inhale sharply, and your brows pull together.

“I know,” the man says as you try to turn from the painful heat. “I’ll wrap it up better later, but we need to stop the bleeding.”

You open your eyes enough to see that you’re still in the forest. It must be a tree you're sitting against, because your fingers weakly feel over the roots beside you. Your wrist is throbbing as you try to hold yourself up. You glance up to see a Charizard looming over you, and your heart nearly stops. Its flamed tail is holding still beside your leg, which is glistening red from your injury, and its wings are furled over your head, though a few trickles of rain are still dropping through.

“He’s friendly,” the voice calls. “He won’t hurt you,”

You look up to see a shiny row of Charizard teeth. Is that… a smile? You’d scream if you had the energy.

You see movement, and glance to the right.

That must be the owner of that voice. You can barely pick out his features as he is kneeling too far from Charizard’s tail, but the lightning flashes again, and you get a brief glimpse. Eyes, hair, nose, nothing jarring, no eyepatch or snaggletooth or anything.

Your breathing is starting to shallow. You’re not sure how much blood you’ve lost at this point.

Lightning flashes again, and you try to scan his features as quickly as you can.

He’s tall, has long, thick hair, he looks around your age, or maybe a year or two older. It’s hard to tell, as he’s too far away. He’s slowly moving towards you again, and there’s something in his hands that he’s tearing into strips.

He ducks under Charizard’s wing and slides up next to you, and you can finally get a better look. Broad shoulders, built chest, tanned skin, long eyelashes, you may even call him handsome, if you weren’t dizzy from blood loss.

He motions towards your leg, and you quickly try to turn away. You can’t endure any more pain, not today, not again. You meet his eye, and flecks of gold glint in the firelight.

“I’ve got to stop the bleeding,” he says.

He reaches down slowly, and when you don’t shirk away, he holds your leg in his lap. Pain sears through your body, and you yell out. Well, it's more like a breathless gasp, though he continues working on wrapping the cloth strips around your leg.

You notice his hair is purple, which is a little strange. It’s up in a ponytail, though half of it is spilling over his shoulders. It must be long. He’s got a hat, a hoodie, and you can’t see his pants, but you assume he’s wearing some. He almost looks familiar. The familiarity is like when you walked through your grandparent’s house and let your eyes flick over the picture frames on the wall. You should know those faces, and there’s some features you recognize, but they’re younger versions of your relatives, yellowed pictures of your family-friends. You stare for a second, because you can’t quite put your finger on where you’ve seen him.

You can see his lips moving, though you can’t process what it is he’s saying. He must have finished because he’s reaching towards you again, lifting you off the ground. You can finally make out another sentence.

“Can you talk to me? You’ve got to stay awake, okay? What’s your name?”

You open your mouth, but no sound comes out.

“Where are you from? What’s your family like?"

Hot tears sting in your eyes again at the question.

“I’ll tell you about mine, then,” he says as he ducks under a tree branch. “I’ve got my mum, my grandparents, and my little brother Hop. He’s a spitfire, and one of the funniest kids you’d ever meet.”

You manage a nod, and he continues.

“He’s got his Wooloo, who’s just as much family. Has just as much personality as another little brother, too.”

Your consciousness is fading in and out as the man talks to you. You can’t hear half of what he’s saying, though you valiantly try to piece things together. He’s close with his brother, he likes Pokémon, he’s got that Charizard. The rest fades with the rain and wind still howling around you.

After a while you can hear the rain, though you can’t feel it on your face anymore. You struggle to open your eyes to see that the man has brought you into a cave, or at least an outcropping of some kind – you can’t see how deep it goes.

He’s gently lowering you onto something and it gives off a faint creak. It curves up around your shoulders, seems to swaddle you as the man pushes your hair off your face. He holds his hand against your forehead for a few seconds, then steps away. A bright light bursts around you, and you see that the Charizard has started a crackling fire a few feet from you. You forgot what warmth was.

Through your eyelashes you can see the man step beside you to start unbuttoning your jeans, and he slowly peels them off. You inhale sharply through your teeth when the rough fabric scratches over your open thigh, and the man starts moving slower. Your parents warned you about this, too. A pang of dread twangs in your stomach, then slowly leaks into the rest of your body like dirty water.

You won’t be able to move, you won’t be able to stop him. That thought strokes through your mind. It isn’t filled with fear, or with disgust, but rather with neutrality, objectiveness. Your body has been beaten and abused by the weather, by the tundra, by the wild Pokémon, why would this strange man be any different? Just add that to the list of scars you have.

He’s pulling up your shirt, now. His knuckles bump your skin, and you breathe out another shaky breath. You’ve never been this exposed before, never in front of a man. In your bedroom, bathroom, your doctor’s office, sure, but never with a strange man, alone and helpless. He pulls your arms from your sleeves, lifts your shirt over your head, and folds it beside you. The cold air stabs into your bare skin, and you don’t have the energy to be embarrassed by what your battered body probably looks like. He’s left your undergarments on, but maybe he plans to take those off next, and your brow furrows at the thought.

“Please,” you manage out.

Your voice doesn’t sound like anything you recognize. It’s rough, scratchy, laced with days of dehydration, days without speaking. The man quickly meets your eye, and a glint of gold flashes.

“Please,” you whisper again. “Please don’t hurt me.”

A pitiful and useless attempt. Why would he stop now? He could do whatever he wanted with you, and it wasn’t like you had the strength to stop him.

Though, that dirty water that’s trickling through your body seems to calm when his eyes soften.

“I’m just checking your injuries, okay?” he says softly. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

The tenderness of his touch is blasphemous compared to what you’ve experienced this past week. You wonder if you’re hallucinating. It seems your body doesn’t know how to respond – half of you wants to lean into the warmth, lean into the gentility, and yet the other half wants to shirk away, because it has to be a trick, it has to be a lie, since the only types of touch you’ve experienced this past week were rocks in your chest, claws in your thigh, teeth in your arms. You haven’t interacted with any humans since you left the train station, and you’ve never felt the touch of a man ever in your life. You kind of thought the first time would be under different circumstances, honestly.

“Do you know if you’re bleeding anywhere else?” he asks.

You manage to shake your head, and whisper another hoarse response.

“My thigh,” you manage out. “The only open wound.”

That you know of, but you can’t muster up the energy to raise your head again to check. Everything else has probably scabbed over.

He steps away, and the rustle of cloth harmonizes with the storm outside. There’s a clink here and there. Alcohol? Drugs? You can’t move much, and he already took off your clothes, what’s the point? You grunt when he tucks a scratchy blanket over your torso, around your arms, up to your chin.

“Your clothes are wet, and you’ve got a fever. I know it’s not the most comfortable, but this is dry, and should keep you warm while I clean up the blood on your leg.”

You nod weakly. You had grown so accustomed to your shivering that you hadn’t noticed it anymore, though it was more apparent as this little bit of warmth presses against you. The man had taken off the cloth strips before he peeled off your tattered jeans, and is now wetting one with a water thermos. The second the cold cloth touches your skin, you inhale sharply through your teeth. After a few minutes of him rubbing your thigh raw, you can’t feel it anymore. He steps to his bag again, you hear another bit of clinking, and he steps back over to you.

“This’ll sting,” he says. “It’s disinfectant.”

“Who,” you breathe out. Your voice is almost as scratchy as this blanket. “Who are you?”

He meets your eyes again.

“My name is Leon.”

The name knocks around your head. Where did you know that name from? An old friend? A past teacher? A neighbor? You nod.

“Hi Leon,” you whisper.

“Hi,” he says with a faint chuckle. The sound is warm, much too warm compared to what the past hours, the past days, have been like.

He was correct, because the disinfectant tears into your injury just as badly as the Bewear’s claws did. A searing white light shoots behind your eyes as you squeeze them closed. You would prefer getting clawed again compared to this. You look down to see if the gouge isn’t deepening as sharp sterilizing needles stab into your raw skin.

“I know,” Leon says sympathetically. You feel a squeeze, and you look down to realize he’s been holding your hand. “It’ll be over soon. Enduring this will be so much better than getting an infection.”

The pain is bubbling into your throat, and you can feel your pulse reverberating through every vein in your thigh. You’re surprised that the injury isn’t shooting up blood, with how hard your heart is pounding. You grimace at the mental image, and again at the white pain that is now bubbling from the disinfectant.

Leon unlaces his fingers from yours and steps to his bag again. Must be for bandages, though your vision is getting blurry from the hot pain in your leg. It seems to have dominoed the rest of your injuries, as now your chest is throbbing, your wrist is throbbing, your arms are throbbing, and every little scab and cut and bruise is making itself known again as you try to breathe.

The raw skin around your thigh is almost numb, but the nerves are still functioning enough to tingle strangely. You try to focus on the sound of the storm, or the crackling fire, as Leon wraps the bandage roll around your leg. He’s at it for a while, and you let your eyes close again. Every so often his hands brush your skin, and you can feel the callouses lightly scratch against you. You vaguely wonder if he’s a carpenter or something. He ties the final not, and he meets your eye to let you know he’s finished.

“I’ve got water for you,” he says. “I’m going to lift you up and help you drink it, is that fine?”

You nod again, and he settles himself behind you. He gently lifts you up under your arms, nestles beneath you, tucks the blanket around you again, and rests your back against his chest. When he raises the thermos to your lips, you don’t smell anything pungent, or anything at all. Hopefully it actually is water, but this guy has followed up on everything he’s said so far, so that twang of dread fades a little more.

You let out a groan the second the liquid touches your tongue, and you drink hungrily as droplets dribble down your chin. Your water bottle broke your second day in the Wild Area, your backups were gone when your bag was stolen, and drinking the river water made you sick. The water seeps into every cracked and dry corner of your mouth, down your throat, into your stomach. It’s like your crispy and dried insides start functioning again the second you swallow.

Leon lifts the thermos from your lips to give you time to breathe, and you heave in and out a few times, though it makes your chest throb. He sets the thermos against your lips again, and you gratefully let it swish around your mouth, refresh your throat, revitalize your insides. The last droplet dribbles from your chin, and you slump against Leon as you heave out a sigh.

Now that your thigh injury and dehydration have been tended to, you’re much more aware of how your body is quaking with shivers. They tremble sporadically from your bones, and you unintentionally nestle against Leon’s chest. He’s larger than you, and much warmer than you, but that honestly wouldn’t take much. He must have noticed your motion, because he sets the thermos down and gently wraps his arms around you.

“You shouldn’t wear your old clothes,” he says quietly. His voice seems to rumble throughout your entire body. “Since they’re soaking and torn and blood-stained. I’ve got some extras, though they’ll probably be big.”

Thanks to your newfound hydration, you can finally manage a hum instead of a cracked grunt. You immediately miss Leon’s warmth as he gently sidles out from behind you and rummages through his bag again. You vaguely wonder if that bag could fit a Snorlax. He pulls out another hoodie and athletic pants, along with a pair of socks, and steps back over to you.

Now that you’re not so focused on bleeding out, you have time to realize that you’re still only wearing your underwear, and that Leon is definitely a handsome and built man around your age. You bashfully glance to the side as he steps over again, and you tuck the blanket around your shoulders more securely. Maybe you could just wear this blanket, though it makes your skin prickle.

He seems to notice your embarrassment and starts talking to you again as he helps you stand. You have to rest against him for a few seconds, since you haven’t stood since the Bewear attack.

“Are you a Pokémon trainer?” he asks.

“Kind of,” you mumble into his hoodie.

Leon chuckles, and the sound rings through the cave. He kneels, and gently guides your foot into the pant leg. He sets your hand on his head to help you balance, though you wince from your probably-broken wrist.

“Kind of?” he repeats. He scrunches up the fabric, and guides your other foot in. “You can ‘kind of’ like egg casserole, or ‘kind of’ like foamy soap over liquid soap, how are you ‘kind of’ a Pokémon trainer?”

“I had a Pokémon, but now I don’t. I don’t know where he is, he might be dead.”

He doesn’t chuckle at that.

“What kind of Pokémon was he?”

Leon slowly stands, slowly pulls the fabric higher, up over your thighs, up over your hips, then to your waist. He pulls the strings and knots them into a bow to keep them up. He lets you rest against his chest for a few seconds when you start to sway.

“Growlithe,” you mutter. “Got separated when,”

You had to pause to breathe in another shallow breath.

“When the Bewear.”

You let another shaky breath be the punctuation to that sentence. Leon seems to infer the rest as he gently lifts the blanket from your shoulders. The cold immediately bites at you, so Leon doesn’t take long before he pulls the sweater over your head, helps guide your hands through the sleeves, then pulls it down over your stomach, then your hips, until the hem reaches your upper thigh. He wasn’t lying about that either; his clothes are a little big. You vaguely worry about how the mud in your hair may stain them.

“There was a Growlithe that led me to you,” Leon says as he pulls your wet hair out of your collar. You feel the brief brush of his callouses against your neck. “He ran off pretty quick, though, once I found you on the ground.”

You grunt in response.

“Couldn’t be him,” you breathe out. “He hated me.”

“Hated you?” Leon repeats.

You tilt your chin down once. That was close enough to a nod.

“Bit me a lot,” you say. You manage to turn your arm, and Leon nods in understanding. He probably saw the little scabs that littered your arms from your Growlithe’s teeth and claws. “Never listened.”

“My Charizard bit me a lot when he was a Charmander,” Leon says as he lets you rest against him again. “Took a long time for him to trust me, but now we’re as close as can be.”

From his spot by the fire, Charizard lets out a growl of affirmation.

Well how nice for them.

“So,” he continues. “That doesn’t mean he hated you. Maybe he had a terrible trainer before he found you.”

Or maybe you were the terrible trainer. You were the inexperienced one, at least.

He helps you sit on what you were before, and you can now identify that it’s a cot. He kneels before you again, holds your ankle, and slips a thick sock onto one foot, then the other. You slowly wiggle your toes to ensure that you can still feel them. These socks are a little scratchy too, but it’s nice to wear something dry.

“Are you,” you start. It takes a moment to catch your breath. “Are you a trainer?”

Leon glances up at you with a furrowed brow. He stares at you for a second, and you manage to keep your eyes open long enough before he speaks again.

“You know my name is Leon, right? Like… _the_ Leon…?”

You nod. You remembered that much, though that didn’t answer your question. Maybe you should start tacking ‘the’ onto your name when you introduce yourself to people too. Seems kind of pretentious though, in all honesty. You don’t comment on it, seeing how _the_ Leon is in the process of saving your life. He seems to be searching your face, your eyes, but you can only blink in response as you wait for his answer.

“Does that mean yes?” you whisper. “You’ve got a Charizard.”

“Uh, yeah,” he says quietly. “Yeah, I am.”

You nod again.

“That’s nice,” you say, though you can’t manage to keep your eyes open any longer. “You must be good if you have a Charizard.”

You’re well-versed in the Pokédex, and you’re pretty sure Charizards aren’t native to Galar, nor are they common Pokémon in general. You could be remembering wrong, though.

“Are you from here?” you ask quietly. Maybe he’s from Kanto, if he’s got a Charizard.

“Yeah,” he says. “Postwick.”

“Wedgehurst,” you reply. You assume he can decipher that’s your hometown, and that you’re not just listing off Galarian cities.

“We’re practically neighbors,” he says with another smile. You can again affirm that he’s good-looking, and under normal circumstances you’d giggle, or try to flirt or something, but at this point you couldn’t care less if he returns your sentiment. You’re just glad you’re not bleeding out anymore.

You tilt your chin down for a nod as darkness swirls behind your eyelids, and the low rumble of thunder echoes in the distance. The rain is still pounding outside, though the storm isn’t as chaotic as it was. But maybe that’s because you’re not lying in the mud without shelter. Leon gently shakes your shoulder, and your eyes flutter open again.

“When was the last time you ate?” he asks. “You should get some food in you before you lay down again.”

You squeeze your eyes closed and try to think back. You had eaten some berries you found in a tree yesterday. Or at least, you think that was yesterday.

“Yesterday,” you answer. “Berries, I think.”

“You think they were berries, or you think it was yesterday?” Leon repeats.

“Yeah.”

Leon chuckles again, and sifts through his bag. He pulls out a pot, and you affirm that his bag probably could fit a Snorlax.

“I’ll make us some dinner, then. I haven’t eaten in a while either.”

As Leon sets up the cookware, he talks with you again. You can finally tell him your name instead of just grunting, more about your family, and you can vaguely explain why you were lying alone in the mud during the thunderstorm of the century.

“Parents kicked me out,” you say as he stirs the pot, and the succulent scent makes your stomach gurgle. Or maybe it was those maybe-berries you ate maybe yesterday. “I’ve always wanted to be a trainer, but they never let me.”

“I was wondering about that,” Leon says. “You seem a little old to be first starting out.”

You shrug in response.

“Didn’t realize it’d be so hard,” you whisper. The hot sting of tears pricks in your eyes again, and you furrow your brow as if the motion will evaporate them. “Parents were right.”

Leon lifts his head, and this is the first scowl you’ve seen.

“No, you’re right for chasing after something,” he says defiantly. It’s almost as if the entire cave is laced with the intensity that’s now blazing in his eyes. “It is challenging, but it’s also fulfilling. Pokémon are incredible partners, and you’re courageous for wanting to try it for yourself.”

You nod.

“I want every person in Galar to be a trainer,” Leon says as he lifts the spoon to his lips. “I think it’s the most rewarding thing a person can do.”

You nod again. You think that maybe being a teacher or a parent or something could be rewarding too, but you don’t feel like arguing. Leon seems satisfied with the temperature of the porridge, so he spoons it into a bowl for you. He hands it to you, only to pause.

“You should take it with two hands,” he says. “The bottom is hot.”

You lift your sleeve to showcase your probably-broken wrist. It’s swollen and purple, and Leon grimaces.

“Geez, you poor thing,” he sighs. “Those Bewear didn’t hold back, did they?”

You shake your head.

“This was from when I fell out of a tree, actually," you tell him. "It was when I was trying to get away from them though. Doesn’t help that they can rip trees out of the ground.”

“Is that where that huge bruise on your chest came from too?”

You turn your head slightly, as if to hide the faint blush, when you remember that this tall and handsome man has already seen you in your underwear. Again, you thought the first time that happened would be under different circumstances.

“That was from an Onix.”

“That one by the train station?!” he asks suddenly. You turn back to him, eyebrows raised, at his outburst.

“Yeah,” you say. “That’s the one.”

“That one got me too!” he says. You’re not sure why that’s funny. “When I first started out, it nearly took my head off. That thing must be old.”

You nod again, and decide that Leon is a little strange.

He sets the bowl in your lap and motions to grab the spoon.

“I, um,” you say quietly. “I can get it.”

He looks into your eyes and gives you a soft smile, then nods. He spoons a bowl for himself, and the cot creaks as he sits beside you. You wonder if the cot will snap from your combined weight. He doesn’t seem worried about it, as he eagerly delves into his dinner. You do too, and nearly moan at the flavor. It actually doesn’t have much flavor, but it’s much more delicious than the water and mud you’ve eaten that day. It’s nice to be able to feed yourself, at least, though your hand trembles every time you lift your spoon. You’re worried about being able to keep the food down, so you decide one bowl is enough for now, nor do you want to shock your system even more. Leon heartily goes back for seconds, sets your bowl beside his bag, then returns to his spot next to you. He asks you questions about your life, about your hobbies, what your favorite Pokémon is. You wish you had more to tell him, and you’re embarrassed by how bland you probably sound. Maybe he thinks you're mysterious? Oh well. He saved your life, the least you can do is be honest about answering his questions.

“It’s nice that you’re talking,” Leon says through a mouthful of porridge. The corner of your mouth twitches up. “I was a little worried you wouldn’t make it.”

Your frown returns as you gaze at the fire. There was a harsh reality in that statement, and you nod as another pang of dread reverberates through you. You squeeze your eyes closed, though it can’t stop the hot tears that are quickly tumbling down your face.

Although you try to stop it, you cough out a sob as you palm the tears off your face. He’s right. You could have died. You could have died alone in the mud in the wilderness and probably never be found. Your parents would never know where you ended up, because you would never come home. You cough out another sob, and Leon whips his head to you.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “That was thoughtless, I can’t imagine how traumatic this must have been for you.”

You try to respond, but can only nod as the tears flow. You hold your face in your hands as you try to muffle your sobs.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Leon says softly. He gently rubs your back, and you lean into the touch. You trust this strange man enough to save your life and give you clothes and water and food, so you can’t stop your body from slumping against him again as you cry into his hoodie. He quickly sets his bowl down so he can curl his arms around you in return.

Your thigh still stings, your wrist and chest are throbbing, your head is pounding, and now your eyes hurt, too. It’s all been so much, and you can hardly think as your body reacts to the trauma of the past week. Even fighting with your family, your only Pokémon abandoning you, your failure to catch anything else; the mental hurdles are almost as painful as the physical ones as you slump into this stranger’s arms.

So here you are, sobbing in a cave as the rain patters outside. This isn’t how you thought your Pokémon adventure would go. At least you finally have an interesting story to tell, if you even make it out of the Wild Area alive. You’re still breathing right now, thanks to this strange, purple-haired, _the_ Leon and his selflessness.

“You saved my life,” you manage through your sobs. “Thank you, I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay?” he whispers against your ear. “There have been a handful of times that I’ve been in your shoes, and kind people have helped me get back on my feet.”

Get back on your feet? How about literally save your life?

“Seriously,” Leon says again. “I’m happy to do it. The… profession… I’m in, I get a lot of help, and I get a lot of stuff done for me. It’s fulfilling to be able to help someone else out.”

He’s gently swaying you back and forth, you nod, though your next words are laced with a hiccup. You give up, and just let yourself be held for a minute.

You let yourself be held for a minute, and then another minute, and then a few more minutes. The tears have ebbed, though you’re still sniffling every so often, and you’re not quite sure how long it’s been that you’ve been lying against Leon’s chest. Your consciousness is slipping into the release of sleep, though you’re vaguely aware of Leon slowly adjusting the both of you lower and lower. You feel the scratch of the blanket again as you breathe out a sigh.

You really can’t open your eyes now, though you can feel Leon gently curl his arm around your waist as he pulls you against his chest. You’re startled when you hear a sharp yip, though you still can’t open your eyes. Your breathing is starting to slow as Leon lifts his head.

“Hey buddy, welcome back,” Leon whispers. He hasn’t called you ‘buddy’ yet… you reaffirm that Leon is a little strange.

You hear the rustle of fur, and the tap of water against the cave floor. Charizard is grumbling something, then you hear another soft yip. You’re fading out again as the cot creaks, and something curls into your arms. It almost feels familiar, though the thought fades as you finally submit to the release of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay? Nay? I can't decide, let me know what you think. I've never done a reader-insert before, I hope it's interesting. Thanks for reading, as always 💖


	2. Chapter 2

The Bewears.

They’re everywhere.

They’re stampeding and rumbling the earth’s crust, and every time one gives out a roar, the rest follow until the trees shake from the sound. It isn’t even a roar – it’s a low moan, like the creaking of steel that’s being bent beyond its limits. It’s ethereal, unearthly, and it makes your bones quake.

You’re pressed against a tree, and you’re grateful that your tears don’t make a sound as they stream from your face. Your clothes are dark, so you hope and you pray to whatever being or Pokémon or deity you can think of that they don’t find you.

Your Growlithe is trembling in the makeshift sling you made from that old scarf you found on the ground. His claws are digging into your back and your neck as he tries to hold himself up, but you don’t dare cry out in pain. You want to whisper soothing words to him, but you can’t risk it.

You raise your leg to step on the first branch, then pause. It doesn’t make a sound. You hoist yourself up, and pause. Still silent. You’re grateful for the rain, for the crack of the thunder, because it hides the faint creak of the bark as you climb higher into the tree. You’re almost high enough.

And your foot catches.

The branch breaks.

You tumble to the ground, you nearly bite your tongue off, and your wrist snaps. Growlithe yips when you land on top of him, though you quickly turn to smother the sound as you glance up to see if-

And your heart stops.

Because the herd of Bewear stop.

And when the lightning flashes,

they turn.

No, no no no no no no you’re scrambling and you’re clawing to get away as fast as you can, because now the stampede is directed towards you and it’s rumbling the earth and they’re tearing through the bushes and snapping the trees as they sprint towards their prey.

Which is you.

You make it halfway up the first branch, only to hear Growlithe’s cry in your ear as he’s ripped from his sling and tossed to the ground. You spin around, and wish you hadn’t.

There’s the Bewear.

Staring at you.

You wake with a gasp.

Your heart is pounding, your body is saturated with sweat, and your eyes are watering because you ripped your eyelashes apart. You try to sit up, though your wrist throbs when you put your weight on it, so you slump back into the cot with a grunt.

You take in a shaky breath, and you turn your head when you hear a shuffle beside you. Is it the Bewear? Are they back to kill you?

You fade in and out as you feel something cold and damp against your forehead, and you groan at the feeling. You can hardly lift your clammy hands to push it away; it’s too jarring of a contrast to how your body burns with fever. The fire is crackling too close, whoever is hovering over you is much too warm, and the blanket is tucked too tightly and is trapping the heat inside. You groan again, try to sit up for the release of fresh air, though something is pushing you back down. There’s something gentle brushing your cheek, and your brows pull together.

“We’ve got to break your fever, okay?” a voice says softly. Whoever that voice belongs to is wiping the tears from the corners of your eyes. “I know you’re miserable, but you’ve got chills and you need to stay warm. You can do this.”

You try to respond, though nothing comes out except a succession of short breaths. Soft fabric against your skin again, and it’s blotting the lines of sweat that are trailing from your temples. It’s a small respite, and you try to nod in gratitude to whomever offered you the feeling.

They’re holding something to your lips, and you give a brief hum when water streams into your mouth. They’re catching the droplets that fall, so you don’t bother to be tidy as you gratefully gulp it down. You slump down again, and you desperately need to warn this person about the danger you’re in.

“The Bewear,” you mutter out. It’s scarcely a mutter, as your lips hardly move to form the words.

“It was just a dream, you’re safe here.”

“The…” you try to repeat. They were everywhere, stampeding and tearing apart the world with their unearthly moans, did this person not see? Didn’t they hear? “…They’re… going to kill me…”

“I won’t let anything hurt you.”

The assurance in their voice eases the tension in your shoulders, and you offer them another nod.

“And Growlithe,” you mutter. You lost him after that explosion of fire that seared into the Bewear, he wasn’t in the aftermath of their retreat. “They’re going to… to…”

“He’s here,” the voice says. You faintly hear the clatter of claws against stone. “He’s safe, don’t worry. He’s keeping you safe too.”

You nod as sleep takes over again.

The Bewears.

They’re everywhere.

They’re stampeding and tearing apart the forest with their terrible moans and their terrible strength. Trees are fallen in their wake, the ground is torn and scarred, and you can only breathe in shaky breath after shaky breath as you pray they don’t see you. The squelch of mud beneath your shoes recoils through your ears like a gunshot, though it seems to meld with the sound of the storm enough to not draw their attention.

The same scene repeats itself for eternity, and you wake to yourself gasping each time. And yet, someone is always beside you to push away your tears, wipe the sweat from your face, and soothe you into sleep again.

You’re not sure how long you’ve been lying here, though whenever you wake your body creaks just as the cot does. You’ve been trembling for so long, it’s like your veins themselves will only work if you’re vibrating from chills. At least you can manage out a thank you to the person who settles themselves beside you whenever you wake with a start. Every time you wake, you try to find their hand, you want to squeeze it, to tell them, to show them that you know they’re there.

“Thank you,” you mutter out again. You’re not sure how many times you’ve told them, but you need to tell them every time.

“Get some sleep, okay? You’re doing great, and I’ll be right by your side.” they say. Their voice is like soothing water, just like the soothing water they always offer you. You wonder if they’re an angel.

The Bewears.

They’re everywhere.

Sometimes the dream plays out, and sometimes it cuts sporadically. You’re not sure which is worse.

And your

foot catches.

And your heart

stops.

You make it halfway up the first branch,

only to hear Growlithe’s cry in your ear as

he’s ripped from his sling and

tossed to the ground.

You spin around,

and wish you hadn’t.

There’s the Bewear.

Staring at you.

You wake with a gasp, just like you have countless times.

Your chest heaves with each breath and your eyes dart around the room. It’s the first time you can recognize the features, it’s the first time everything isn’t fuzzy, and it’s the first time you aren’t shaking with chills. You can’t remember the last time you had a coherent thought, though your consciousness seems to be pushing through the retreating fever. Your mind isn’t clear, though it’s here again, and you now have the capacity to know where you are, and piece together what has happened.

You see the Bewear’s eyes every time you close yours, so you settle on staring at the wall. You’re trembling again, though now it’s from exhaustion, and you try to bite your lip as if to force the tears back. You’re tired of crying, you’re tired of being in pain, and you’re tired of being tired. Your sleep wasn’t restful, nor was waking up, and the frustration of everything you’ve gone through quickly bubbles hot in your body.

You try to slow your breathing, try to think about being grateful for being alive, but you grunt in frustration again when you try to swallow and your throat twangs with pain. That too? Your leg, your chest, your wrist, your arms, and now your throat? You palm the tears from your face. At least the liquid helps clear your eyes from the crunch of sleep that laced through your eyelashes. You wonder how many ripped out when your eyes tore open.

You try to push your hair from your face, only for your fingers to snag on the dried mud, and you yank too hard and rip out a chunk of hair.

And that’s the last straw.

You let out another cry as you hold your hands over your face. It’s too much. It’s too much, it’s been too much, it’s been too much for too long, and you can’t handle it anymore. Your sob echoes through the cave and shoots back into your ears. You shake your head, though you’re not sure who you’re shaking your head at. Yourself? Whatever being that’s in charge of the universe? You’re not sure, because you hiccup again and your chest throbs.

You let out a few hearty sobs, and the sound seems to release some of your frustration. After a few more, after clenching your teeth as hard as you can for a moment, some of the tension starts to fade. Your sobs quiet into whimpers, and you wipe your sleeves over your face. It only helps a little, because your clothes are damp and saturated with sweat. After a final, deep exhale, the tension fades a little more.

It’s the clack of claws on stone that is echoing now, and you lift your head to see a flash of orange. You’re able to set yourself up on your elbows, though it’s challenging with how much the cot curves. Birds are chirping out the mouth of the cave, and a slight breeze is wafting in. It isn’t strong, but just enough to cool the heat on your cheeks, just enough to sway the loose strands of hair, just enough to ruffle the fur on your Growlithe as he sets his paws on the cot.

“Growlithe?” you breathe out. Your voice is scratchy again. “You’re alive?”

He barks in return, though when you reach to pet him, he pulls away. The motion immediately forces more tears out of your eyes as the little denial of comfort stings through your heart. He meets your eye, and you’re unsure of the emotion that’s in them. Certainly caution, at least, since that’s what he always had when he looked at you. You lower your hand, though you leave it out for him. He glances from your eyes to your hand, then leans in to hesitantly sniff. He seems to approve of whatever you smell like, because he bumps his head against your hand, and that again spurs more tears from your eyes. A soft smile too, this time. You risk an ear scratch, he doesn’t bite you, so you risk a heartier ear scratch. You breathe out a soft laugh, though it’s laced with a sniffle, but your insides warm to finally see and touch something familiar. His fur is matted and muddied just as badly as your hair, though it doesn’t seem like he has any broken bones or apparent injuries.

“I’m so glad to see you again,” you whisper to him as you cautiously brush over the fur on his face. “I’m so glad you’re safe, and that you didn’t run away.”

“You’re up,” someone says. It’s almost a gasp, a whisper of disbelief.

Someone is entering the cave, and the morning light shines behind him. You don’t recognize his clothes, but his face and his hair are familiar. Your memory is a blur, though his voice resembles the soothing whispers that so often frequented your bedside. Where do you know him from? He seems to understand your confusion, and he stops a few feet from the cot.

“Leon,” he reminds you. Ah, that’s right.

“ _The_ Leon,” you reply.

You remember that smile, too. He gestures towards the end of the cot.

“May I?”

You nod, and he takes a seat at the other end. He sinks into the center, then readjusts by crossing his legs and facing you. You try to mirror his posture, though it takes a few tries to sit up.

“It’s such a relief to see you awake,” Leon says as his brows pull together. “How are you feeling? How did you sleep?”

“Terribly,” you sigh. You don’t have much energy to lie, though when Leon’s brow furrows you quickly backtrack. “I-I had repeating dreams is all, might’ve been fever dreams.”

Suddenly Leon is reaching towards you and you flinch away. He quickly yanks his hand back.

“Oh, sorry, force of habit,” Leon says sheepishly. “I was checking pretty consistently to see if your fever broke, that’s all I was going to do.”

You stare at him for a second, then nod your consent. He slowly reaches towards you again, and when you don’t flinch back, he presses his hand against your forehead. His hand is warm, or maybe that’s just you. You can’t really tell.

“Still a little warm,” he says as he purses his lips and retracts his hand. “But definitely better. It’s so relieving to see you sitting up.”

It feels relieving too, as you can’t remember the last time you stretched your legs, and your body aches from lying in this cot for so long.

“How long…?” you start. You’re not even sure what to ask. How long did your fever last? How long have you been lying here? How long has he been tending to you?

“About two days,” he answers.

“Two days?!” you repeat. The force of your outburst triggers a series of deep coughs, which in turn make your chest throb. You wonder how long giant bruises from Onix typically last.

“But you finally did it,” he says with a smile. He’s clenching his fists in triumph, too. “Whatever you were fighting off seems to be gone.”

You heave out a sigh at the sound of those words. And then another sigh from sheer exhaustion. Growlithe seems to sigh too, and you pat his head again.

“Growlithe are known for being incredibly loyal,” Leon says as he gestures towards Growlithe standing beside the cot. “He didn’t leave your side for a second.”

You motion to pet him again, but your jaw drops when Growlithe hops up onto Leon’s lap.

“I told you he didn’t hate you,” Leon says as he rubs Growlithe’s stomach. Belly rubs? He never let _you_ do that… You try to force down your resentment. This Leon must be a good trainer, if he has a Charizard and Growlithe has taken to him so quickly. “This is the same Growlithe that led me to you that night. He was the one that saved your life, so I’d say he loves you.”

“Seems like he likes you more,” you mutter. You didn’t try very hard to hide the resentment there, though. Leon either doesn’t mind it or doesn’t notice, because his chuckle echoes through the cave.

“I’ve always had a good understanding of Pokémon,” he explains. “If Pokémon were plants, I’d have a green thumb.”

Your brow furrows at his comparison. Some Pokémon are plants.

“That’s what my mum’s always said, at least. They’re my favorite thing in the world, next to my family, and I think a lot of Pokémon can sense that.”

You nod. That makes sense, though you love Pokémon too, and _you_ aren’t giving belly rubs to a Growlithe... to _your_ Growlithe…

“Enough about me though,” Leon says as he meets your eye again. “These past couple days have been miserable for you, so let’s take it easy today, okay?”

Let’s? As in, ‘let us’? As in, ‘us’? As in, ‘we’? As in both you _and_ Leon?

You’re not sure what you expected, but it’s taking awhile to calculate what he means.

“We’re… you’re,” you stutter. “Let’s?”

It seems Leon is calculating now too. You don’t blame him, that sentence didn’t make any sense. It honestly wasn’t even a sentence, but a choppy conglomerate. You try to figure out what it is that you even want to say.

“You’ve done so much for me Leon,” you say. “You saved my life, and took care of me for the past three days, I can’t ask any more of you.”

“You’re not,” he shrugs. “You haven’t asked for anything, but I can’t in good conscience let you go out alone like this, you _just_ got over a terrible fever. Your thigh is still healing too, I’d be surprised if you can even walk yet.”

It’s like the buzz of a busy phone line is resonating around your brain. He’s letting you stay with him? How can somebody be so kind? It can’t be possible… Leon must have something wrong with him.

“I’ve washed your clothes for you, too,” Leon says. “They’re hanging outside to dry, though your pants are torn pretty badly. You might be able to make them into shorts, if you don’t like having the huge tear in the thigh.”

He washed your clothes? He saved your life, he fed you, he clothed you, he let you sleep on his cot, he stayed at your bedside for days, _and_ he washed your clothes? Who even is this man?

“Thank you,” you manage out, since that’s all you can think of to say. He must be an angel, sent to you from on high, as recompense for your terrible week. Or maybe you’re still dreaming, or maybe you’re hallucinating from blood loss and you’re actually still in the mud outside. You can feel Growlithe shifting to your lap though, and you gasp when his paws press onto your leg injury. That felt real, just as real as when his bark cuts into your ears, and just as real as the prick in your arm when he bites down. You’re lucky this sweater is so thick, so the skin doesn’t break, but Growlithe is jumping off the cot, and scampering out of the cave entrance.

You grunt in frustration, and try to force the tears back again. What are you doing wrong? Why does he like Leon and not you?

“You’ve really had a terrible few days, huh?” Leon says sadly. You nod at the understatement. “I know what it’s like, though. I nearly died when I first started out too.”

“Really?” you ask. That can’t be possible. Even though you barely know him, Leon is probably the most capable person you’ve ever met.

“They don’t really tell you how dangerous the Wild Area is,” Leon says with a sigh. “A lot of trainers drop out of the Gym Challenge after Kabu, though half the reason is they can’t take the stress of traveling.”

You nod. You certainly didn’t know how hard it would be, nor how high-leveled some of the wild Pokémon were. You don’t even want to think about what level those Bewear were. You don’t really want to think about Bewear in general.

“I’ve had a couple close calls myself,” Leon continues. “And I’ve had people help me out, patch me up, and I’ve vowed to do the same if the chance ever presented itself. And here you are.”

You nod and fiddle with your thumbs. You suppose that’s fair. If you found someone lying in the mud and bleeding out, you’d probably do whatever you could to keep them alive too. You’ve been meaning to work on accepting help anyway, so perhaps this could be a good chance to do that. It’s not like you have much choice, since you don’t think you can walk either.

“Then,” you start. You bow your head. “Thank you for your generosity, Leon. I promise I’ll try to repay you in any way I can.”

His smile shines again, and it’s almost blinding. Yeesh, maybe he is an angel, what with how beautiful he is. You’re a little woozy from your fever though, perhaps that’s it.

“I do have an idea, actually,” Leon says.

You’re a little nervous from how eager he is. You can’t imagine what it could be that you can provide to him, but he hasn’t taken advantage of you in any capacity yet, so you wait in anticipation for what on earth you could give him.

“Do you know where we are?” he asks.

Is that… is that a trick question?

“We’re… in a cave?” you respond hesitantly.

“Beyond that, like, in the Wild Area, do you know?”

You shake your head.

“How far is this cave from where you found me?” you ask.

“Not far, I don’t think.”

“Well,” you say as you scratch your chin. “I was in the Dappled Grove when those Bewear attacked, so I would assume that’s where we are now.”

Leon breathes out a ‘ahh,’ and your brows pull together.

“The Dappled Grove,” he says as another smile blooms on his face. “That makes sense.”

“You… you didn’t know where you were?” you ask. Even though you don’t have much in the area of survival tactics, you studied enough to know how to understand your general location. It was actually a skill you picked up pretty quickly, though you had to wait until your parents went to bed to study it.

“Nope,” Leon says as he leans back. “I’ve been lost for about a month.”

“A month?!” you repeat incredulously, and your next sentence comes out in a series of coughs. “You’ve been out in the Wild Area for a month?!”

“Yep. Give or take.”

Who is this man? Who is this strange and lackadaisical man? You quickly decide that Leon is a little more than a little strange.

“I’m pants with directions,” he says with a shrug.

That… that can’t be his excuse. That explanation is as thin as tissue paper, and you stare at him in shock because of it.

“So it’s nice to have interaction with someone that isn’t a Watt trader,” he says with a smile. “And it’s nice to finally know where I am.”

“How did you even get out here?” you ask. “Did you mean to be out so long?”

“I came out for a weekend of training with Charizard.”

“And your training weekend… turned into a month.”

“Yep.”

You’d slap your forehead, but you don’t want to offend him, however you don’t think it would offend him much since he doesn’t seem all that perturbed by the fact that he’s been lost for a month.

“It’s been good training,” Leon says with a nod.

Well that’s good at least.

“Charizard hurt his wing early in though,” Leon says, and his smile finally falls. “He’s been doing fine, but he can’t fly for very long, and I’m pretty heavy, which is why we’ve been going on foot. I was hoping you would know where we were, and maybe you can help with orienteering. At least for a little bit, once you’re healthy. And if you’re willing, of course.”

You nod quickly, though it makes the room spin. You can do that much, and you’re ambitious to finally offer a skill that’s useful.

“Yes, yes I’d be happy to,” you say. “I’ll do anything I can.”

“Great,” Leon says, and his smile returns. “Though like I said, we should probably take it easy today, maybe tomorrow too, and see how you’re feeling.”

You nod again and breathe out a small sigh. Having a traveling companion would be nice, since Growlithe still doesn’t seem to like you much, and having one so capable and caring and handsome is even better. Well, mainly that he’s capable and caring. That’s mainly it.

“Is anyone worried about you?” you ask. “That you’ve been gone for so long? Like your family or your job?”

That question seems to make Leon a little nervous, as his eyes glance to the side.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened, actually,” he says sheepishly. You again resist the urge to slap your forehead. “So, my family is used to it, and we’re all quite adventurous anyway, so they’d probably all think it was cool. And my job… um…”

You raise an eyebrow. Is it a sore subject? Does he not like his job? You can relate to that much. Working at the berry shop with your parents was fine, but it’s not like it was ever a passion or a budding career or anything.

“I-it’s an off season,” he says with a grin. This smile doesn’t meet his eyes. “Uh… business… business is slow anyway, and it’s been kind of nice to have a break. I don’t get many… vacation days.”

That’s fair. This must be a sensitive topic for him, so you decide not to push the matter, and you make a mental note not to ask about his profession. Nor do you have the heart to tell him that he’ll probably get fired for missing a month of work, if he hasn’t already been replaced.

“A-anyway,” he says as he shakes his head. “It’s nice to see that you’re more alert and talking. I was thinking you’d want to clean up a bit before I re-wrap your leg again, and there’s a waterfall and a pond not far from here. It’s real beautiful, too.”

You flop backwards at the sound. He is an angel. He is an angel who is guiding you to beauty and hygiene.

“That sounds amazing,” you breathe out, and he chuckles. The cot creaks when he stands, and you sink lower into the scratchy blanket. Once you try to sling your legs over the side, you quickly realize it’s a futile attempt when your thigh sears with pain.

“Still that bad, huh?” Leon says when you wince. “I wish I had some painkiller, but I used it up when Charizard hurt his wing. Not sure if potions work on humans anyway.”

“They don’t,” you say with a sigh. You tried that the second that Onix hurled the rock at you. “Tastes terrible, too.”

“You sprayed it in your mouth?” Leon asks. “Not on your injury?”

“It was a last resort.”

He nods, though you’re a little surprised that Leon hadn’t tried it before too. He seems like the type.

After slipping your shoes on for you, helping you up, and offering you another thermos of water (which you gratefully accept), Leon gently guides you out of the cave mouth. Your thigh is still throbbing, and you haven’t stood in days, so you rest your back against Leon’s chest as you hungrily breathe in the fresh morning air. Late-morning, you think, since the sky isn’t as pastel as morning would be. The birds are chirping in the trees around you, and you wonder how this place is the same place that was so cruel and chaotic. It seems to be shining, as the rain hasn’t fully evaporated from the dark leaves of the trees and the viridian blades of grass. It must have rained the past few days, or at least this morning. The air is damp, and it sticks to your lungs as you breathe in again.

Charizard is napping in the sun, and your face scrunches into a pout when you see Growlithe lying in the curve of his tail. Oh, so he’ll snuggle with Leon _and_ Charizard before he'll snuggle with you? Cool.

Leon calls Charizard, who grunts in reply. Leon sighs, calls him again, only for Charizard to turn and heave out a yawn. So maybe it isn’t just you who has problems with disobedient Pokémon… You bite back a grin.

“He’s a little finicky sometimes,” Leon explains through a grumble. His voice rumbles against your back, and you nod in understanding. “Charizard, come on, we need to find that waterfall again, you can nap later.”

With a reluctant snort, Charizard stands, stretches, and yawns. His jaw cracks, as do half of his joints, though you’re sure that must have felt refreshing. He scratches, then starts grumpily leading the charge. Growlithe skips around him and tries to nip at the fire on his tail, only to be swatted at a few times by said tail.

So far, you’ve been walking with the help of Leon’s shoulder, but it’s getting challenging because of how tall he is… and how thick his shoulders are. You purse your lips. You wonder how long it would take you to have muscles like his. Probably forever. You’d probably have to work out until the end of time, or at least survive in the wilderness for a month.

A dull pain throbs every time you take a step, and Charizard looks back at you grouchily. He probably won’t be getting back to his nap any time soon, at least not at this rate.

“Um, Leon?” you start quietly.

You slide your arm down to fumble with your hands. How do you ask him to carry you? ‘Hey, beautiful and angelic man I met three days ago, can you hold me in your beefy arms against your firm and muscular chest?’ Yeah, that’s not creepy.

“It… it might take a while for me to walk there,” you say awkwardly as you stare at the ground. “It might be easier if you, um…”

“I was thinking the same thing,” he says, and you exhale the breath you were holding. “It’s probably not good for you to put much stress on your leg so soon anyway.”

“So, um,” you start.

This is the first time you’ve been fully conscious when he’s so close to you. He doesn’t seem to think about it, or at least show it on his face, as he gently scoops you up and into his arms. After a brief adjustment, he casually strolls forward again.

Should you… make conversation…? It’s not like this has been a common occurrence for you, being carried in the arms of a handsome stranger. You’re a little distracted by how he feels, and how sturdy his grip is. After a few steps you let out a yawn, as even stepping from the cave’s mouth to here has been more exercise than you’ve gotten in days. The exhaustion is catching up to you, and you dearly hope you can get some restful sleep later without that stupid dream.

“What have you been doing the past few days?” you mumble through another yawn. His rhythmic steps are strangely soothing. “Besides taking care of me?”

“Oh, not much,” he says. “Gathered firewood, exercised, foraged, played with your Growlithe a bit, trained with Charizard if any wild Pokémon wandered by. I didn’t really want to stray too far in case you needed me.”

“Sorry,” you mumble.

“No, don’t be,” he says. He’d probably wave a hand at you if he weren’t already holding you. “Charizard and I were due for a few rest days anyway. We like to travel for a few, then rest for a few. Really, there’s no need to apologize.”

You nod.

“Thank you again, Leon,” you say quietly. “I’d probably be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“Like I said, I’m just happy I could help at all,” Leon affirms. “I’m glad to see you’re slowly getting back on your feet.”

You raise an eyebrow, though he can’t see it.

“Metaphorically, at least. Literally soon, too.”

You nod again.

“A-anyway,” Leon coughs. “I think we’re almost there.”

Charizard heaves a final huff and pulls a few branches aside, Leon gently sets you down, and your breath catches when you look up.

Though you could hear the faint rumble of the waterfall halfway back, the sound is now cascading through the air, just as the water is as it spills over the dark rocks of a small cliff. It’s misting over the pond, and as Leon helps you to the bank, you can clearly see the colorful rocks and pebbles that litter the pond floor. The sunlight is glinting on the surface of the water, and faint blues and reds and oranges twinkle in the mist where the waterfall hits. Even the banks are vibrant, and the crisp green of the grass throbs in your eyes, as do the dark bark of the trees surrounding the clearing. You must be dreaming again, you must be in a storybook, a fairy tale, because you’ve never seen such a colorful and vibrant display of nature.

The air is thick here too, probably from the mist of the waterfall, and you gratefully breathe it in. It swirls in your lungs, sticks to your insides, and cools every bit of your body. You exhale with a smile, then do it again.

“It’s so beautiful here,” you say as you turn to Leon.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he replies. He breathes in the cool mist as well, and offers you a smile. “I stumbled on this place not too long ago, glad I did though.”

“Yeah, me too,” you say.

You stand and watch the waterfall for a moment, and Charizard gratefully slumps into the grass as he heaves out another yawn. You turn again when Leon clears his throat.

“You’re smiling,” Leon says softly. “This is the first time I’ve seen you smile.”

You stare at him for a moment, then turn back to the water when a faint blush creeps up onto your cheeks. You want to squirm from the gentility in his words, but you settle for fumbling with your hands again.

“Ah, well,” you stutter as a bit more heat creeps into your cheeks. “It’s… it’s been a stressful few days.”

Leon breathes out a laugh and nods. After a stretch of silence, you clear your throat, and glance back to the waterfall.

“So, um,” you start again.

“Right!” Leon says a little too loudly. “Right, yes, I’ve got shampoo and soap here for you. It’s not the fanciest stuff, but it works well for traveling. You only need a little bit for it to work.”

“Great, thank you,” you say.

He’s heading back to his bag, so you turn again and take in the spectacular view. You’ve never seen a waterfall before, at least not one so tall, and you smile at the sight. And you smile at the fact that this is the first time you’ve smiled in days, maybe even a week. It’s refreshing.

You glance over to see that Leon has peeled off his shirt, slung it over a tree branch, and is in the process of rolling up his pants. Your eyes widen at the sight, and your brain seems to skip as you unconsciously process that he looks just as muscular as he feels.

What.

What is he doing.

You watch his shoulders as he rolls them, and you try to swallow, but your mouth has gone a little dry.

You quickly try to think of literally anything to say, but it seems every word you’ve ever learned disintegrates as your eyes trail down his frame until you get a peek of his hip bones. He’s stepping towards you again, and now he’s close enough where there is no possible way to hide the flaming blush in your cheeks, especially now that he’s lifting the hem of your sweater up and his fingers brush your waist.

“Wh-what are you doing?” you finally cough out.

Leon pauses, though your nerves are still tingling. You try to push his hands down so your sweater can fall, Leon’s eyes widen, and he bolts back.

“Sorry! Arceus, I’m so sorry,” he splutters out as he catapults backwards. “I-I just assumed I’d help you, I, oh, wow, I’m so sorry,”

His face is probably as red as yours as he looks anywhere that isn’t you.

“I probably look like such a pervert,” he groans. “I didn’t mean to, really, I just thought you’d need help,”

You feel worse for Leon at this point, as his blush is flaring even deeper than yours.

“D-do you,” he starts again as he frantically searches your eyes. “D-do you? B-because I, uh, I-I,”

Hm, poor guy. You wonder if his face hurts with how red it is. You set your hand on his forearm, and he closes his mouth.

“I think I’ll be fine,” you say, though you can’t help another smile inch over your face. “It should be easier to move in the water anyway. You’re fine Leon, really, it’s okay. Thank you for being so willing to help.”

He nods vigorously as he profusely apologizes a few more times. He seems concerned with you being comfortable with him, and that fact makes you a little more comfortable with him. After the red in his cheeks ebb into a light pink, you try to change the subject before he feels even worse about how he almost took your clothes off. Again.

“Do you have a towel though?” you ask. The bag he brought this time was small, but perhaps it could fit a Snorlax too.

“No, I don’t use one out here,” he says. “Normally I just air dry.”

“…air dry?” you repeat.

“Yeah,” he says. “You just lay in the grass and let the sun dry you off. It’s really peaceful, like you’re one with nature.”

You’re not sure how you feel about lying naked in the grass for an undetermined amount of time as ‘the sun dries you off,’ especially when you’re still not sure how you feel about Leon. Or at least, you’re a little nervous about what you _do_ feel about Leon, especially since he’s still not wearing a shirt.

“I…” you start. “You won’t… _watch_ , right…?”

You feel a little stupid for saying it out loud, but you also do not want any miscommunication about this. He’s already seen you in your underwear, probably more than once since he said he’s changed your leg bandage, and you want to let that be the limit.

“No!” he practically shouts. His eyebrows pull together, and his immediate and abhorrent response eases the tension in your shoulders. “No, absolutely not. I respect your privacy. Here, I’ll even ask Charizard to stand guard for you so you’re more comfortable.”

Your eyebrows pull together. Stand guard from who? Him? It does make you feel a little better though, so you nod.

“Great,” Leon says with that megawatt smile. “I’ll go get him.”

He turns, only to see that Charizard has already stepped up behind him.

“Oh, hi Charizard,” Leon says. “Keep watch, okay? Make sure no one comes by, even me.”

Charizard gives a hearty nod to Leon, stares you in the eye, and gives you a hearty nod as well.

“Okay, now that that’s taken care of,” Leon says with a grin as he turns back to you. “I’ll go get your old clothes. You probably don’t want to keep wearing mine anymore anyway.”

You don’t, especially now that you’ve been sweating in them for three days. You don’t really want to think about how bad you smell and how gross you look, especially since Leon _still_ hasn’t put his shirt back on.

“Mind if I take Growlithe?” he asks. “I don’t fancy getting lost on the way back.”

You nod, figure Growlithe would probably prefer going with him anyway, and he flashes another grin. And with that, he’s sprinting off, and you again reaffirm that Leon is a little strange.

“Alright,” you say to Charizard. “Let’s get to it.”

You hear Leon call your name again, only for Charizard to roar and billow out a beacon of flames behind him.

“Okay, okay!” you hear Leon call. “Never mind, I’m going, don’t catch the forest on fire.”

Charizard turns and gives you another hearty nod. You grin, nod in return, and you face the pond again. You’re confident that Charizard’s got your back.

You limp to the edge of the water, and glance around again. It’s not like there’s anyone out here, and the pond is surrounded by thick trees and bushes, but you’ve also never bathed anywhere so open before. You weigh your options.

Either be rancid for who knows how long or get naked in the wild for ten minutes.

You scratch your chin.

You could probably do it in five.

You square your shoulders, give Charizard another confident nod, peel off your sweater, and heave out a hearty groan. It feels so _good_ to get that off. The breezes whispers over your skin, into your pores, and you reach towards the sky. You quickly put your arms back down when you get a whiff of what you smell like. Yeesh, Leon really is an angel for enduring your stench. Maybe once all this is over you can send him a gift basket of perfumes and flowers.

You kick off your shoes, wiggle out of your pants, and toss each and every article of clothing onto the grass. You bite your lip through a grin, then you let it spread over your face. The warm breeze is wafting over all of you now, and you breathe a deep sigh of content at the feeling. You’ve been glued in those clothes for days, and you never imagined how liberating it would feel to ‘be one with nature’ like this. It’s a little embarrassing to be so exposed, even though no one is around, but that impish grin is clear on your face. You vaguely wonder what your parents would think, that you’re traipsing around the forest without any clothes, and you grin again. You think air drying sounds lovely now.

You step into the water, and breathe out another hum. It’s cool, not freezing, and has just enough bite to be refreshing. You step in deeper, and hum as the water laps against your ankles, then your calves. You peel off the old bandage around your thigh, and grimace at the sight. It’s reddish-brown, though it’s not oozing anything like you feared. It’s scabbed over for the most part, though the deepest gouge is still a little raw. After tossing the old bandages onto the bank, you wade in further, and exhale deeply as the water laps against you. Yeah, you haven’t felt this good in a while.

You don’t want to risk diving in, so you take each cautious step after each cautious step, until you’re up to your shoulders in the water. The chill bites at you, especially where you’re a little more sensitive, but you can feel the days of sweat and mud and grime finally washing off.

As you dunk your head under the water to finger out the dried mud, you decide that every time you bathe should be like this. You scratch out the mud, the sand, and the sticks from your hair, and finally break the water with a deep breath. You glance around again to see it’s still just you and Charizard. He waves at you, and you laugh as you wave back. It feels just as refreshing as the water.

Although the water pricks at your injuries, it calms them too as the cool water swirls around you. You step out to grab the soap and shampoo, and graciously lather up. After a quick glance to your smelly pile of clothes (where you’re surprised to see there’s no flies buzzing around them), you figure it wouldn’t hurt to at least wash your undergarments and Leon’s socks, though you don’t want to waste too much soap on the sweater and pants. It probably wouldn’t hurt to let the shampoo sit in your hair for a minute anyway, so you take the time to wash, then hang the clothes on a branch to dry and air out, and you step back into the water to rinse yourself off.

You never fully understood the term ‘squeaky-clean’ until now. Although you’re technically done, and it was within five to ten minutes, you can’t help but float for a bit longer. You let the waterfall run over you, and although the sound fills your head, you smile at the feeling. It feels a bit like a showerhead, if you had seventeen showerheads on you at once, that is.

As soon as you step out from under the waterfall, you hear a call from Charizard, and you whip your head to him. You dunk everything but your head beneath the water, and you see him gesturing towards something. Your heart is pounding as you turn, only to breathe out another laugh to see a few Budew, Bounsweet, and Wooper at the edge of the water. They seem to be watching you, so you offer them a wave. They chirp in excitement, the Woopers blow out a wave of bubbles into the air, and they glisten blue and pink in the sunlight.

As you look around, you start to notice that the pond is filled with life, and there are Remoraid, Tympoles, Goldeen and more swimming in the water around you. They aren’t straying very close to you, and you aren’t surprised, but your heart swells as they glimmer beneath the clear water.

Yes, this is a bit closer to what you hoped your Pokémon adventure would be like.

There’s a Wooper that seems a little bolder than the others, and is watching you as it swims closer. You grin again and gently offer it your hand. It paddles towards you, stares at your hand, stares into your eyes, then shoots you in the face with a Water Gun. It hits you straight in the forehead and the pressure knocks you back, though it isn’t enough to hurt. You hear more chirping from the shore, and see the Woopers, Budew, and Bounsweet are dancing around each other.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?” you ask them. They chirp louder, one of the Woopers falls to the ground with a cackle, and you can’t help but laugh along with it.

You set your hands on your hips as you look back to the mischievous Wooper in front of you, and it’s dipping underneath the water, swimming back and forth, though it’s eyes flick to yours every so often.

“What, you want to play?” you ask.

It dips beneath the water again, and you dodge another Water Gun. Your jaw drops, and then it nails you straight in the mouth. After coughing the water out, you push a wave of water at it, and that makes your spectators on the shore chirp again.

After playing with the Wooper awhile, some of its friends on the sidelines join you. It’s a little chaotic at times, but they never hit you enough for it to hurt, and you make sure you do the same. They let you pat them on the head, and once you pat one of them, they all start bumping their heads against you.

“I’ve only got two hands, little Woopers,” you chuckle as you try to pat them all. They’re a little slimy, and you have to rub off the strange sheen from your skin each time, but you don’t mind much. After you make sure you give each another pat, you start to wade out of the pond. You’re not sure how healthy it is for your open wound to be in the water for so long, and you’re starting to shiver again, so you resist their cries for more pats as you step back onto the bank.

After grabbing some of your clothes from the tree branch, grateful that they’re already dry, you find a patch of grass that looks relatively clean, and you flop down. Charizard seems to notice your shivers, so he steps closer to you and sits beside you with a _flumph_. After letting Charizard’s and the sun’s combined heat waft over your skin, you have to force yourself from napping in the grass.

You hear Leon call your name, and you bolt up.

“H-hold on!” you call in return, though Charizard seems more than ready to shoot off another Fire Blast.

“Charizard chill out, I’m not coming any closer,” you hear Leon say. His next sentence is directed towards you. “I’ve got your clothes, I’ll send them up with Growlithe, let me know when you’re ready.”

Growlithe comes trotting up, and you’re anxious that he’s just going to run off with your clothes, though he plops down beside you. You gently reach towards him, and when he doesn’t flinch or bite at you, you grab your clothes, and manage to squirm and wiggle enough to get everything on properly without having to stand or bother your injuries. Your wrist throbs a bit, though you’re happy to see that it’s not as purple as it was. Perhaps it wasn’t broken, though it might be sprained. You wonder if Leon knows how to make a splint out of sticks or something.

When you slip your pants back on, you realize that Leon must have cut them into shorts. They’re a little jagged at the hem, but you see that Growlithe must have burned off any loose string, so they aren’t threatening to unravel. You believe it now that Leon has done this before.

“Okay,” you call. “You can come over.”

Charizard playfully snaps his teeth at Leon when he walks by, and you grin again. Yeah, Charizard has your back. You meet Leon’s eye, and his smile fades into something of shock.

You blink a few times, glance behind you, glance around you.

“What?”

“N-nothing,” Leon stutters as he quickly shakes his head into focus. “Y-you, you uh, you just look different, is all.”

“I’d hope so,” you say. “I’m not covered in mud and dirt and grime. Thanks for fixing my pants, by the way.”

He nods, though he doesn’t break eye contact. His stare is a little unsettling, so you cast your gaze to the pond again. Your Wooper friends are still splashing about, and their bubbles are still glistening in the air. You turn back to Leon to see that he’s still staring.

“Um,” you say quietly. “You were right about it being beautiful here. It was really refreshing, too. I’m glad you found this place.”

He nods.

“Are you okay?” you ask quietly. You’re glad Charizard is still settled beside you, because Leon is starting to freak you out.

He squeezes his eyes closed and shakes his head again.

“Yeah, um, sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just, uh, you’re right, it’s really beautiful here.”

You nod. You again affirm that Leon is a little strange.

“I’ve got more bandages for your leg,” he says as he kneels beside you. “I figured it wouldn’t hurt to disinfect it again, too. Or it probably would hurt, will hurt, a little, I mean, but it’ll be good for your leg. For you, I mean. And your leg. Your thigh. Your injury, I mean.”

Your eyebrows pull together as he trips over his words. It seems a light pink is tingeing his cheeks again, though perhaps it could be sunburn. Your own face feels a little tight, but perhaps that’s just because you’ve finally washed it after days of sweating and crying and lying in mud. You haven’t been in the sun a while either, and the glistening pond probably magnified the threat of sunburn. Maybe you’ll tan.

“Um,” he says quietly as he gestures to your thigh. “May I?”

You nod, and he shuffles closer. He seems to hesitate before holding your bare thigh, though after a moment, he sets it in his lap. You’re grateful that your jeans are shorts now, because you can finally wear pants while he tends to your injury. You try not to think about how mangled you probably looked before now. You embrace being squeaky-clean instead.

You inhale sharply as the disinfectant bubbles over your injury. It doesn’t sear into you like it did the first time, though it’s enough to make you wince and grip the grass in your fists. Leon instinctively holds his hand out for you, and you squeeze that instead as the pain burns in your throat. You flop against the grass as the initial burn starts to ebb, and Leon starts wrapping your thigh with a fresh bandage. You watch the sky as he works, and Charizard leans over you. You offer him a wave, and you see a shiny row of Charizard teeth as he waves back.

“He likes you,” Leon says with a chuckle. “Normally it takes a while for him to warm up to people, too.”

“Maybe we could trade,” you joke. “You can take Growlithe and I can ta-”

“No.”

“Right then, never mind on the trade.”

Leon ties the final not, gives your knee a decisive pat, and he helps lift you from the ground. As soon as you stand, the Woopers come barreling around you. One of them skips around your feet, and you trip into Leon’s chest. He catches you fluidly, and the Woopers chirp again.

“You’ve made some friends, I see,” Leon says with a chuckle. It rumbles against you, and you feel a strange pull in your stomach when his hand grazes the small of your back. Your shirt isn’t as thick as his sweater was, so you feel his touch a little more clearly. You shake the thought out.

“We were playing earlier,” you explain as you stand straight again. “One of them spit right in my mouth.”

“Gross,” Leon says, though he doesn’t try very hard to hide his laughter.

It rumbles against you again, and you lean on his chest when another shiver trembles through your body. Leon seems to notice, and rubs his hands over your arms.

“Yeah, we should get you back to bed,” he says. “I was hoping to wash that blanket, but it can probably wait until tomorrow. I’ve aired it out at least, along with the cot.”

“I’m feeling much better,” you say, though you’re grateful for Leon’s warmth. You suppose it only was that morning that your fever finally broke, and this is the most activity you’ve had in days. You don’t regret it, but maybe you shouldn’t have stayed in the water and in the sun for so long.

“No,” Leon says gently. “You should get some sleep. You also need to eat something too, drink some water that isn’t Wooper spit.”

“Why do you have to say it like that,” you groan as you hide your face in his chest, though you’re sure he can hear the smile in your voice. He chuckles again and pats your back.

“Alright, come on,” he says as he leans down. “Up we go.”

He scoops you into his arms, and you let your eyes close as you rest against him again.

“Thank you, Leon,” you say quietly.

He hums a response, and you’re already fading in and out, thanks to the soothing rhythm of his steps. You’re back at the cave before you know it, you drink another thermos of water, and you can finally eat something solid for the first time in days. After a bit of back and forth, Leon persuades you to sleep as much as you can while you’re still healing, and considering everything he’s done for you, you sigh and agree that’d be best. After tucking the blanket around you again, Leon tells you ‘goodnight, er, early evening, I guess,’ and you can finally embrace a dreamless and peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that I do or don't endorse skinny dipping but if you want to feel like a wild child that's a surefire way to do it. this experimental piece is going further & here is another chapter, I hope you enjoyed!! i'd love to hear thoughts, questions, critiques, etc, to improve my writing, so please feel free to leave a thought if you have any 🤩🤗 thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this chapter & some content for future chapters, I've decided that the MC/reader will be female/use female pronouns. Sorry to my homeboys out there!! I’m still trying to make the reader generally gender-neutral so my male-pronoun-using pals can enjoy this reader-insert too, but after re-reading some parts & future parts, I’ve noticed I’m naturally writing the reader more female-gendered anyway. So, tags have changed, a few words in the first 2 chapters have changed, but that should be it for big changes moving forward. Hopefully that doesn’t disappoint too many of you, and I will work hard to make up for it by providing EXCELLENT LEON CONTENT. Like this chapter! Enjoy! - missusk

“There you go, that’s it!”

Growlithe was right on the mark with his Flame Wheel, and that bush didn’t know what hit it. It had erupted into flames, and your Wooper friends quickly dowsed the embers.

“Brilliant, Growlithe!” you call as he looks back at you. “Great work, you’re really getting it.”

He barks a few times and runs in a circle, furiously wagging his tail.

Every day the past few days you’ve been training longer and longer, and you’re ecstatic to see that Growlithe has finally grown enough to learn Flame Wheel. Having a powerful fire-type Charizard around certainly helps, but you’ve seen how hard Growlithe has been working to get it on his own. You limp over to him and give him a pat on the head. Your smile shines on your face, as he’s been flinching less and less when you reach out to him.

It took a bit of persuading (though Leon would probably call it begging), for Leon to let you even train with him and Charizard at all these past few days, but after watching them single-handedly fight off a swarm of Claydol and Pangoro without breaking a sweat, there was no way you weren’t going to take advantage of his expertise.

“Alright,” Leon calls from the sidelines. He stands, brushes the grass off, and steps over to you. “I think that’s enough for today.”

“But he’s just got it,” you whine as Leon sets his hands on his hips. “Just a bit longer, I’m feeling fine, really.”

“Not the way you’re limping, you’re not,” Leon says as he raises an eyebrow. “He might be fine, but you need to rest.”

You sigh dejectedly, because again, he’s terribly perceptive. You’ve been trying to hide your limp, but your thigh is taking longer than you had hoped to heal. It’s fully scabbed over, but that doesn’t mean you don’t wince every few steps.

The sun is starting to set over the pond clearing, and the oranges and pinks glitter on the water’s surface. It’s just as peaceful every time you come, and every time your Wooper friends skip around your feet when you arrive. Most of the time it’s cute, but you trip on them quite a bit. Now that the bush isn’t on fire, they’re lounging on the banks and blowing bubbles into the air, magnifying the palette overlooking the pond.

You open your mouth to retort, only for Leon to wag a finger at you.

“No. No saying please, no batting your eyelashes, and no ‘come on, Leon, I’ll cook dinner and rub your back,’” he says. “Not gonna work.”

You bite back a grin, and you can see him working hard to hold back his own smile. He’s been trying awfully hard to be stern lately, but you’re slowly learning which persuasion tactics are most effective. Back rubs are at the top of the list.

You don’t want to overuse your most persuasive tactic and decrease its effectiveness, so you give in with an eye roll. You know he means well, and you should probably be going lighter than you have been anyway. He was the one that tended to you hand and foot the first few days you met, and you don’t want to put him in that position again. It’s been terribly frustrating though, because your mind is leagues healthier than it was, but your body hasn’t quite yet caught up.

He gives a decisive nod, and when you don’t ‘beg’ again, he slings his bag over his shoulder, and you start back towards camp.

It’s always challenging to leave, since your Wooper friends cry for final pats from you and Leon whenever you reach the forest threshold. At first you wanted to take them all back to camp with you, but they never seem to want to travel beyond the pond clearing. You don’t blame them – it is probably one of the most beautiful places you’ve ever been, and you figure training one Pokémon is hard enough right now anyway. You tend to stop another minute for a few extra pats to each though, as you learned pretty quickly that their sad eyes and pouty lips are an effective persuasion tactic on you. Leon picked up on that yesterday when his back rub ended sooner than he hoped.

You and Leon start down the dirt path while Growlithe jovially leads the way. It still takes some time for you to get anywhere, though you don’t need Leon to carry you anymore. You support yourself when you need by brushing your hand against the trees lining the path, and your fingers smooth over the rigid bark.

Your hands are beginning to callous, and some of your sunburn is starting to peel. As you trail your fingers over the rough bark of the trees, you smile. You’re not so tender anymore, not so easily effected by the weather. You can see why Leon’s hands seemed so rough the night you first met, and it’s like you’re finally starting to acclimate to the nature around you, slowly easing into the adventure you’ve always dreamed of.

The forest path isn’t long, but it isn’t short either, and the birds chirp and hop above your heads as you step down the familiar trail. It’s a straight shot, but occasionally you have to steer Leon forward instead of letting him wander into the bushes. A light breeze tickles your face, whispers through your hair, and you let out a contended sigh, then a yawn, as you humbly resign to the fact that Leon was right again. You probably should get to bed early, as you still haven’t been sleeping well because your terrible Bewear dreams didn’t stop when your fever did. They’re less like flashbacks, and they’re becoming more abstract and unnerving each time you have one. Last night was the worst bout you had in a while, and you woke to yourself crying.

Leon liked sleeping under the stars, especially since he insisted that you use his cot for at least a few more days while your leg healed, but he stepped back into the cave when he heard your muffled sobs. You had tried to pretend to be sleeping, only to break down again when he knelt beside you and lightly brushed your shoulder.

“You alright?” he had asked softly. You shook your head. “What happened? Another nightmare?”

“Yeah,” you said through a sniffle. The cot creaked when you sat up, and again when Leon sat beside you. “Rubbish Bewear again.”

You hated feeling like a little child, blubbering and sniffling so often, but it never seemed to phase Leon. He had said his little brother Hop used to have night terrors, so he was used to getting up in the night.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Leon had asked. You shook your head. You wanted to think about anything that wasn’t a Bewear. He had motioned to stand, only to pause when you grabbed his hand.

“But will you,” you said quietly. “Will you stay with me? Just for a little bit?”

You couldn’t help it. You felt so raw, so beaten, and he was always so soothing. It was probably selfish of you to ask anything of him, but when the memory of the Bewear’s cold eyes flashed behind your eyelids, you’d rather risk being selfish.

“Sure,” Leon said as he squeezed your hand. “I was just going to get up to get you some water. Staying with you is a lot more comfortable than the ground anyway.”

You smiled when he did, and your worry faded a little more.

He offered you some water, chatted with you for a minute, and you had expected him to say goodnight and step back outside. Instead, Leon had settled himself on the cot, gently pulled you down, wove his arm around your waist, pulled your back to his chest, and heaved out a deep sigh. It took you a minute to process, and then relax against him, but once you did, it was easily the most restful sleep you’d had.

You shake your head to the present and hesitantly bite your lip. You want to sleep like that again, you want to feel his comforting arms around you, and you want him to keep those terrible nightmares at bay. You can’t get used to him coddling you though. Your goal of starting out on this journey was to be independent, to chase your dreams, so you shove away the temptation of the security and the warmth that you find whenever you’re near him. You still don’t really know Leon, and although he rescued you from the brink of death, you need to be careful about trusting a stranger so quickly. That was one warning your parents gave that you agreed with.

As you step back to your camp and help set up for dinner, you heave out a sigh. Even though you fought before you left, you do miss your family, and you miss the comforts of home. Growlithe is slowly warming up to you, though he sleeps next to Leon at night instead of sleeping next to you. You miss your family, your friends, bits of your life, and the challenges of the past two weeks have been like nothing you’d imagine. You wouldn’t go back, though. It helps that Leon is friendly and interesting. And handsome. A good travel partner, for sure, though you haven’t actually traveled anywhere yet.

You have been walking better, the bruise on your chest is finally yellowing, and your wrist is healed too – though it cracks every time you turn it. You don’t need to sleep for so long anymore either, and you’re eager to help Leon with the little daily duties of keeping camp. You try to cook, try to gather the firewood, and try to discreetly prove to both yourself and to Leon that you’re healthy enough to travel. As much as you like your little cave and the beautiful pond, you’re itching to start up again, and you’re sure Leon can say the same.

“I was thinking,” you start as Leon sets the pot over the fire. He raises an eyebrow to signal he’s listening as he bustles about. “I think I’ll be good to travel soon, maybe we could head out tomorrow, start our way towards Motostoke.”

Leon purses his lips, just as you thought he might.

“If we just go for half a day,” you continue. You’ve mulled this over a thousand times and tried to figure what would be the most persuasive. “And rest in between for half a day, we can make some good progress. You’ve already been out here for over a month now, and in this cave for a week, I’m sure you’re eager to start moving again.”

Leon grunts. Almost there.

“Charizard is getting antsy too,” you say cautiously. “Seems a little more… finicky.”

Leon quickly exhales through his nose and nods.

“So, what do you think?” you ask. “Just for half a day to start? I already know which way to go, the river that waterfall comes from runs north. We can head towards the west side of Lake Axewell if we follow it.”

Leon purses his lips, and you bite yours in anticipation.

“Counter proposal,” he says. “You rest all day, Charizard and I take all day to train, and we leave the morning after tomorrow. And two back rubs.”

“Deal,” you say through a grin.

Leon spoons out some curry for you and does the same for himself. That’s something else, too – you’re not low on food quite yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to restock on some supplies. Now that both you and Leon are living out of his bag, his stores are depleting faster than he planned. If you’re correct in your whereabouts, you’re pretty sure there’s a Watt trading station not too far from where you are – perhaps a two-day trip, or a four-day trip if you only take a half day at a time.

You’ve been able to slow your food usage by foraging in the nearby thickets, as the forest is quite lucrative with fruits and some root vegetables here and there. Although it was never a dream job, your time growing up in your parent’s berry shop did lend to a diverse knowledge of plants. You’ve also been teaching Leon about what berries and plants are safe to eat, especially since he came in two days ago with what was practically a handful of poison. You had to slap it from his hand before he popped one in his mouth. After that, he made sure to double check with you each time, and you were honestly shocked to see that he hadn’t died yet from eating anything strange he found. He must have a stomach of steel.

You eat and you chat and you learn a little bit more about each other as the evening passes. He asks you what you’d be if you were a Pokémon, you ask where he’d live if it weren’t Galar, and he asks you what type of potato is your favorite. Your mouths start to water at the idea of hashbrowns and French fries and cheesy potatoes, so you change the subject pretty quickly. You like asking him about his family the most – that and Pokémon, as those always bubble up a contagious passion.

Your dishes are cleaned and dusk has settled, so you and Leon are sitting at the mouth of the cave as the fireflies start to flicker.

“That’s definitely been the hardest part of being out here,” Leon says with a melancholy sigh. “I miss my little brother more than anything. I hadn’t seen him in a while before I came out here, I can’t even imagine how tall he’s gotten.”

You nod and pat his shoulder. He practically melts into the touch, so you figure now is a good time to make do on your half of the deal. You nestle behind him, he pulls his hair into a bun, and sighs again.

“I had been meaning to visit him more,” he says. You push your fingers between his ribs, then up to his shoulders again. “But it’s just so challenging with work sometimes. I really love being the-”

Leon tenses beneath your hands.

“I, um, I really love being at my job,” he says, though his voice is quieter. “But it’s so time consuming. Every time I try to make plans to go visit, something else crops up that I need to do.”

“Can’t you take time off?” you ask as you push your thumbs into his neck, and he grunts. Poor guy, he’s really tense. “Or take weekend trips here and there?”

“My job is…” Leon starts again. “Really demanding of my time. It’s uh, more of a lifestyle, even.”

“What job is more important than your family? What if Hop grows up and is gone before you know it?”

Leon doesn’t respond, though his shoulders tense again.

“Ah, sorry,” you say as you give his shoulder a squeeze. “That was insensitive. Maybe once we get to Motostoke, you can visit your family first before going back to work. You’ve been gone for over a month anyway, I’m sure a few days more with your family won’t hurt.”

Leon heaves out a sigh and nods.

“That’s a good idea, honestly,” he says. “I will. And I’ll smother him with love and hugs and big brother attention.”

His shoulders are drooping, and you let out a sigh too. You’ve been piecing together bits of Leon these past few days, and you think that he responds well to physical affection. You hesitantly lean in and wrap your arms around his shoulders. Again, it’s like he melts beneath your touch. After a few seconds, and then a few seconds more, he breathes out deeply, and some of the tension in his shoulders fade.

“Thank you,” he says softly. “I needed that.”

“You’re an excellent big brother, Leon,” you say as you set your head on his shoulder. “Hop is lucky to have a brother who loves him so much.”

“You’re sweet,” he says as he chuckles and pats your head. You take that as a signal to lean back, so you sit beside him again. “I definitely will try to see him more often. I suppose I have plenty of time to think about persuasion tactics to use for work. I’ve got the master of that sitting right beside me anyway,”

Your jaw drops, though you can’t help but grin too when he gives you a cheeky smile. You shove his shoulder and he laughs, and you both finally stand and stretch when the cold of night starts to bite.

The fire is already down to glowing embers, so the chill is quickly setting in under your skin. Every night you try to let Leon finally use his cot again, and every night he insists that you use it instead. Tonight is the first night you don’t bother bickering, and as you kick off your shoes and unfurl the blanket, Leon clears his throat.

“So,” Leon says. You glance up to see him pursing his lips and fumbling with the hem of his shirt. “I was, uh, I was wondering…”

He’s scratching behind his neck, fiddling with the loose hairs of his bun, and your eyebrows pull together – it’s not often you see him nervous. Does he want it tonight after all? You may need to borrow a sweater, but if you sleep with Growlithe and Charizard next to you, you could be fine outside.

“So last night was, uh,” he coughs. “Well, I dunno about you, but I was, uh, really comfortable.”

You nod slowly.

“S-so, if you want,” Leon says as he shifts again. “I-I could, uh, I could stay with you again, if you want. But only if you want, I mean.”

Oh. Well this is a different request than you were expecting.

“Don’t want you having any nightmares again, I mean,” he says with a decisive nod. “That won’t do.”

No, you don’t see him nervous that often, but when you do, it’s incredibly obvious. And a little adorable, but you don’t think about that part too much.

“No, not at all,” you say as you struggle to hold back a chuckle. You decide to let him out of the tension he’s built himself. “Will you stay with me tonight too, then?”

He heaves out the breath he was holding and quickly nods.

“Yeah, sure, I can do that,” he says as he finally looks at you. “I’d be happy to. I mean, not _too_ happy to, because not that that’d make me _too_ happy, just, like, a normal amount of happy.”

“Right,” you say as you hide your grin with your hand. You gesture towards the cot, and he nods vigorously again.

“Right, yes, I’ll, uh, right.”

He quickly kicks off his shoes, the cot creaks as he adjusts himself, and he holds his arm up. He’s not meeting your eye, and the low glow of the embers make it challenging to decipher, but it seems Leon has a bit of red staining his cheeks. You do too as you try to delicately sit beside him, though this rubbish cot sinks in so much you practically slide into him. He pulls the blanket over your shoulders, you adjust a bit, though it’s challenging to get comfortable.

“Do you mind if I, um,” you say quietly. He nods quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, do whatever you need.”

You’re facing his chest, so you hesitantly reach your leg over, sling it over his thigh, and curl your arm around his side. After a bit of wriggling, and hiding your blush as the cot creaks enough for Charizard to suspiciously lift his head, Leon has his leg slotted between yours with his arm under your head, and you both finally breathe out a sigh.

“Is this fine for you?” you ask quietly.

“Yeah, you?”

“Yeah.”

You wonder if he can feel your heart pounding.

Late evening ebbs into night, and the glow of the embers fade to black as your breathing starts to slow.

This is the first thing he’s asked of you yet (even though he didn’t technically ask), besides for your skills in orienteering, and you wonder just how lonely Leon has been. He’s still cautious with you, still careful, and he always makes sure it’s okay before he touches you in any capacity. That respect and that awareness of his does ease the tension in you, though you do feel a strange pull in your stomach whenever he’s close.

As he heaves a deep and contended sigh that ruffles your hair, you decide that you’ll do your best to be a good support for Leon. You naturally get along well, and you’ve already formed a strange bond that’s challenging to describe, and you wonder if it often comes when someone saves your life. Probably. Even though he vehemently repeats that you don’t owe him anything, you decide that you want to offer him whatever comforts you can to help him feel safe and supported just as he did for you. And, if that means a back rub or listening to his thoughts or holding him for just one night, then you’re happy to oblige.

It’s not so bad anyway, because he smells a bit like sunshine. Like the trees. You wonder what you smell like. Hopefully it’s not something like dried sweat or Wooper spit. You try to be discreet as you curl closer, and you’re glad he can’t see your blush. You’ve never been held by a man before. You’ve never slept with a man like this (and also not like _that,_ and you quickly shove that thought away), and again, you didn’t exactly expect the first time to be under such strange circumstances.

It didn’t take as long as you thought it would to fall asleep, and when you wake rested and refreshed, you breathe out a contented hum. No Bewear dreams, either. You wonder if Leon has some strange superpower, like some big brother force field.

He’s up before you are, as he normally is, so you embrace sprawling out in the blanket. After dozing in and out for some length of time, your eyes flutter to the sound of something scratching haphazardly on the ground. You lift your head to see Growlithe slowly tugging something to you.

“Growlithe?” you ask groggily as you wipe the sleep from your eyes. “What do you have there?”

His bark jolts you fully into the morning, and you sling your legs over the cot’s side as you stretch. After a second stretch, a good morning scratch, your eyes go wide when you see what he’s brought in.

“My bag!”

Growlithe barks again, and trots in a delighted circle.

“Good boy, Growlithe,” you say as you kneel beside him. He lets you scratch his head, he flops down, and you nearly gasp again when he rolls on his back.

Is it true?

Could it be happening?

He wants a _belly rub_ from _you?_

You happily indulge him, and he barks again as his tail wags.

This is the best morning you’ve had yet.

After a hearty belly rub and a few more pats, your cross your legs on the ground as you pull your bag to you.

“I can’t believe you found it,” you say to Growlithe as he sets his paws on your knee. “I wonder where it was.”

You unclasp the latch and pour the contents on the ground. Your face breaks into a smile to see that most of your belongings are still here: your clothes, your tent, your Poké Balls and potions, your map, compass, toiletries, and whoever stole your bag left at least one water bottle. The only things missing are your money, food, your jacket, and strangely enough, the picture of your gran. Oh well, you suppose you can always get another one, it was kind of a weird selfie she printed out and gave you anyway.

The first thing you do is brush your hair, and the second thing you do is brush your teeth - that was one thing Leon wasn’t very willing to share. Mouthwash worked fine for a while, but you’re grateful to get that carpet off your teeth.

The third thing you do is rush outside to find Leon. Having a map and a compass will make navigating so much easier, and so much more accurate. You’re not sure the time, but normally he doesn’t run off anywhere until you’re awake, so you peer around the outside of the cave. He’s left his hoodie for you, seeing as he’s also perceptive of how cold you normally are in the morning, so you gratefully pull it over your head. Perhaps he’s off doing something, so you find a dry patch of grass, flop down, and set to updating your diary on everything that’s happened.

After what you’re sure was an hour or two, and after shaking the cramps out of your hand countless times, you’ve finally updated everything. Phew. Feels nice to get that down, and since this is easily the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to you, you want to make sure you remember every detail. Your thigh is sore from sitting on the ground so long, so with the help of the rocks beside you, you stand, stretch again, and exhale deeply after a few satisfying cracks.

You peer around again, and still no sign of Leon. He did say he was going to train, perhaps he’s at the pond with Charizard. It’s getting into the afternoon anyway, he’d appreciate it if you brought him lunch.

You pack up your bag, grinning the entire time because now it’s _your_ bag and not Leon’s (though you do take the food from Leon’s bag), you make sure you have your compass and map to start planning (and your hairbrush because Leon desperately needs it), and head back out into the sunshine.

Growlithe is happily trotting beside you as the Rookidees hop in the branches over your head. You can hear Charizard and Leon’s voice echoing through the trees. Must have been training.

The sunlight dapples across the forest floor, and a light breeze brushes through your hair. You’ve hardly winced or tripped at all yet today, and you smile as you watch your feet crunch over the leaves and the twigs on the ground. It’ll feel good to start moving tomorrow, and you’re anxious to start properly mapping out a route to the Watt trading station in the West Lake Axewell. As the trees clear, you glance up to see a pair of pants hanging from a tree branch. You glance to the left to see Leon facing the pond in his underwear.

Leon is.

Underwear.

Pond. Facing the.

Leon is facing the pond in his underwear.

You wished you would have screamed, fainted, or really have done anything that wasn’t just freeze in place and stare at his shoulders and his back and his back dimples and everything below his back dimples and confirm that he’s tan and tall and toned and newly discover that he is also _perky_. Your heart does stop, however, when Growlithe barks in excitement and Leon turns his head.

You stare at each other for a couple seconds.

Then a couple more.

And a couple more when your Wooper friends happily skip up around your feet.

Your mind finally kicks it into high gear, every bit of blood you have is flaring in your face, and you finally sputter out.

“Sorry! Sorry Leon! I-I didn’t know you were out here!” you call as you haphazardly turn and hide your face in your hands. You’re surprised your fingerprints aren’t burning off from how hot your face is.

“You’re fine!” he calls. “Didn’t mean to surprise you, hope I didn’t scar you or anything.”

He did. He did because that image of Leon is now forever burned into your brain and you chaotically reaffirm that he is way too attractive for what is safe for your poor heart.

“At least now we’ve both seen each other in our underwear,” he says.

“Yep,” you squeak.

“Glad you didn’t come in any sooner,” he says as he trots up and plucks his pants from the branch beside your head. “You might’ve gone blind.”

“Probably,” you mutter between your fingers. Blinded by the light. Blinded by his glowing smile and his glowing back dimples.

“But now we’re closer than ever, eh?” he chuckles as he pats you on the shoulder. “No need to be embarrassed, we’re even now. At least you didn’t try to take my clothes off.”

You groan and nod, and Leon chuckles again.

“You came at a good time though, I think the Woopers were getting upset that it was only me here. One shot me in the face with a Water Gun.”

“Really?” you say as your face breaks into a grin. You finally move your hands from your face once Leon’s put some pants on, and the Woopers dancing around your feet confirm they’re excited to see you. You pat one on the head, and bubbles gurgle from its mouth. They’re a little gross, but in the same way babies are a little gross. Leon reaches down too, only to get nailed in the face with another Water Gun.

You can’t help but let a laugh explode from your mouth as the Woopers giddily flip around your feet. You cover your mouth apologetically, but Leon doesn’t seem to be phased by the Wooper spit, because he is now staring intently at you. His own mouth curves into a grin, a big one at that, and you tuck his hoodie collar up over your mouth as you quickly reaffirm that he is definitely handsome. Why’s he looking at you like that? Did you say something strange? Did he finally realize that he’s acting much too nonchalant for you peeping him in his underwear?

“What?” you mumble as your cheeks flare red again.

“Nothing it’s just,” Leon says as his grin melts into something soft. “That’s… that’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh.”

“Oh,” you mutter through the fabric. What are you supposed to say to that? “Um, sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed at you.”

“No!” he says quickly as he steps towards you. “No, it’s… it’s really nice. You have a beautiful laugh, I’m so excited to finally hear it.”

That little bit of heat is now a lot, and it’s flaring in your face again. He’s been waiting for you to laugh? He thinks you have a beautiful laugh? That’s the first time you’ve heard that before. That’s also the first time you’ve heard laughter be described as beautiful. Normally people say ‘contagious’ or ‘nice’ or something, but you’re slowly realizing that Leon isn’t that normal.

“Um, thank you,” you mutter as you glance to the ground. He’s leaning closer to you, and your eyes flit up. Your heart kicks when you realize how close he is.

“You have a beautiful smile, too,” he says quietly as he pulls the collar down. “Don’t hide it.”

Oh my, yes, he is definitely closer than he normally is, and he is definitely half-naked and glistening in the sun as the pink and blue bubbles float around his head. His knuckles brush your chin, and you glance away again. He can probably see how pink your cheeks are, or maybe you just have a fever again?

You don’t have much time to mull it over, because the Wooper standing beneath you just shot another Water Gun and it hit Leon under the chin. After failing to not laugh at him again, Leon tosses the Wooper into the pond, and you both sit in the shade of the trees. Growlithe and Charizard settle beside you, and now that your brain isn’t short-circuiting, you can finally remember what you came here to tell him.

“Guess what?” you say through a grin.

Leon raises an eyebrow.

“Growlithe found my bag!” you enthuse as you showcase your prize. “We’ve finally got more supplies, and a map and a compass and a hairbrush!”

“A hairbrush?!” Leon repeats. “A-and a map too I mean, that’s great!”

“And,” you say as you set your hand on his forearm. He glances between your hand and your eyes. “That’s not even the best part.”

“What’s better than a hairbrush and a map?”

“Growlithe let me,”

You lean in, and Leon leans in too.

“Give him a _belly rub._ ”

Leon’s jaw drops.

“No way.”

“Way.”

“This is the best day we’ve had yet,” Leon says with a decisive nod. “Aren’t you glad we didn’t leave so quickly?”

You laugh and nod, and when Leon smiles at the sound, a bit of heat creeps back into your cheeks.

“I brought the hairbrush, actually,” you say to distract yourself from how he’s looking at you. “Since you desperately need it.”

“Tell me about it,” Leon says as he gratefully accepts the brush. “My fingers and Charizard’s claws can only do so much.”

You both wince when the brush immediately snags. That didn’t sound too healthy.

You set up for lunch, you ask Leon to stop brushing his hair when you’re eating once you pull a long purple strand from your teeth, and you eat and talk as the sun rises higher into the sky. You’re content to sit against a tree trunk while Leon and Charizard start up their training again. You split your time between watching them and taking notes, mapping your route for tomorrow, and shooing the Woopers away when they get spittle on the map.

After some training, mapping, and shooing, Leon flops beside you in the grass as the sun begins to set. He rolls onto his stomach and sets his head on his fist as you flatten the map in front of him.

“I’ve got it all planned out,” you say excitedly. “Take this path along the river, then in a few days I’m thinking we’ll make it to one of the Watt trading stations. Once we’re there we can stock up on supplies, then we can figure out which path to take to Motostoke.”

“To Motostoke?” he repeats. You raise an eyebrow and meet his eye.

“Yeah,” you say. “Isn’t that where we’re headed? It’s the closest city, I can drop you off there so you’re not lost in the wilderness any longer.”

“Oh,” he says. His tone is quieter than you expected. “Yeah, that sounds brilliant.”

“…Do you not want to go to Motostoke?” you ask cautiously.

“I do, I do,” he says. He turns to his side so he’s facing you, though he’s not meeting your eye.

“You don’t sound very sure.”

“Well,” he says as he heaves out a sigh. “There was one thing I wanted to do before going back, is all.”

You raise an eyebrow when he guiltily bites his lip.

“Promise you won’t laugh?” he asks quietly.

Today was the first time you’ve laughed with him around at all, you can probably hold it in.

“Promise.”

Leon scans your face, seems to approve of the emotion on it (or the lack of emotion on it), and points to the map. Your eyes follow to see that he’s pointing to the bottom right corner of the map.

“The Giant’s Seat?” you ask.

“Yeah,” he says. His guilty countenance shifts into something eager when a grin spreads on his face. “This is the heart of the Butterfree migration. It only happens every few years, and every time it does, I’m in the middle of my tra- er, my uh, starting up my busy season for work. I never get to see it, and my family always goes without me. I was… I was hoping I’d get to see it this year, it’s supposed to be really beautiful. One of the wonders of Galar, actually. Lots of Pokémon, lots of rare colors of Butterfree.”

“Really?” you say. You had seen documentaries about the migration, but they were only ever clips or brief glances when you were channel surfing. “Isn’t there something about the air quality there? Or something? I feel like I heard that on a documentary.”

Leon nods vigorously and sits up in excitement. His grin is contagious, and it’s like you can see the stars in his eyes.

“That’s it! You’ve got to go real high up, to where you can see practically the whole Wild Area. You wait until night and turn off your lights and douse your fires and then the Butterfree all come from the north and their wings glow from the pollen of the Glimwood Tangle. If we’re lucky we might even see a Gigantimax Butterfree.”

Your jaw drops. Those documentaries did a rubbish job at explaining it then, because that sounds way more interesting than the Butterfree mating habits it told you about. If Leon gets fired from his job he should think about narrating one.

“That sounds incredible,” you say with a nod.

“So we can go?!” he presses as he leans in again.

Well how are you supposed to say no to those sparkly eyes? You almost want to pinch his cheeks. The ones on his face, at least. For the most part.

“Yeah,” you say with a laugh. “I’m out here to train, I can stay in the Wild Area as long as I want, it’s not like I have anywhere to rush to. That sounds beautiful anyway, of course I want to go.”

“Brilliant!” Leon enthuses. “This’ll be great.”

“It’ll be kind of a long trip though,” you say. “The Giant’s Seat is at the opposite end of the Wild Area. Are you sure you’re okay with being out here that much longer?”

“Yes,” he says with a definitive nod. “And now that I’ve got you, I won’t just be wandering around anymore.”

“And if your family always goes, maybe you can meet them there,” you add. “Once we get to the Watt trading station, you should send a letter to tell them. And you should tell them that you’re alive, too, that would probably be a good idea.”

You glance down when you feel a squeeze to see Leon has rested his hand on top of yours.

“Brilliant. You’re brilliant.”

You meet his eyes, see those little stars in them again, and glance away as the heat creeps into your cheeks. You give his hand a light squeeze in return, then rest your hands in your lap.

“Oh,” Leon says as he quickly retracts his hand. “Sorry.”

You shake your head and wave him off.

“W-well it’s settled then,” you say as you glance at the map again. “We’re on the north end of the Dappled Grove, so it would still be faster to go up and around Lake Axewell. We can figure out the rest from there, or perhaps there’s a ferry or something.”

Leon nods, then turns so he’s lying on his back in the grass beside you. The wind lightly breezes through your hair, and you breathe out a sigh. You’re tempted to reach down, brush his bangs from his face, feel him melt against your touch. You settle for feeling over the hem of your shirt instead.

After watching the Woopers splashing for a few minutes, you pack up your things, and finally head back to camp.

The sunset shines through the trees above your head and litter the forest path. The light glitters like coins over your shoes, your legs, and the crisp evening air nips at your lungs. You’re satisfied to listen to the crunch of the leaves and twigs beneath your feet, but Leon clears his throat again.

“Did you have any nightmares last night?” he asks quietly.

You shake your head.

“That’s good.”

Rookidees are hopping above your heads, calling their song into the evening air, and a few Cherubi rustle in the bushes beside you. Leon clears his throat again, and you glance up.

“Yes?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he mutters. “I was just, I was, I was…”

You raise an eyebrow.

“Never mind,” he grumbles as he lifts his sweater collar higher.

You cast your gaze to the path again, though in your periphery you can see Leon shove his hands in his pockets. Growlithe is content to trot in front of you and snap at the speckles of light on the ground. You make it to the mouth of the cave, and as Leon sets up the firewood for dinner, you break the silence again.

“So,” you start. “Since I’m not having those dreams anymore, I can sleep outside, and you can finally take your cot back after a week.”

Leon purses his lips.

“I suppose,” Leon mutters as he sets up the cookware.

Ah. That mumbling seems strangely like his mumbling on the forest path. You don’t want to assume anything, though.

“…But maybe we could share again tonight, just to be sure.”

Nope, you assumed correctly.

“Are you sure?” you say with a sigh. Not that you wouldn’t mind that, but you don’t want him to feel like he has to care for you all the time at the risk of his discomfort. “It’s only a one-person cot.”

“It is big for a one-person cot though,” Leon says with a shrug.

“I guess,” you sigh. “I feel bad, you probably didn’t sleep well last night because you had so much less room.”

Leon shrugs again and waves a hand at you.

“If anything, I slept better,” he says with a nod. “It was nice to hold someone, and I feel like we fit together perfectly.”

Your eyebrows raise, and it seems Leon has also just realized what he said.

“I-I mean, Charizard doesn’t like cuddling, s-so it’s nice, um, it’s nice that you do, o-or you let me, at least, a-and, um,” he stutters. His eyes go wide as he frantically searches for another sentence. He doesn’t find one, and instead turns around completely. “We’re running low on firewood, wouldn’t you say? I’ll go find some.”

And with that, he briskly steps out of the cave. You’re not quite sure, but it seems like Charizard just rolled his eyes, and quickly follows Leon out. They don’t make it far before Charizard grumbles something to Leon.

“I know that was creepy, Charizard, you don’t have to tell me!” Leon huffs.

You hear a faint grumble from Charizard, though their voices are slowly fading. You tiptoe to the mouth of the cave to catch Leon’s next sentence.

“I know,” Leon says with a sigh. “It’s probably scary for her to be alone out here with a big guy like me, especially since she doesn’t know who I am. She doesn't blindly trust everything I do or say like everyone else, and I want to be genuinely trustworthy. It's kind of weird to have to build from the ground up, but I want to do it right."

You have to lean your head out to hear his trailing sentence.

"I hope she feels comfortable around me. And it's just... she’s great, and I’m really glad we found her, and I kinda want more than _just_ Growlithe to like me, you know?”

Charizard grumbles something else, and Leon scoffs.

“What?! She doesn’t like _you_ more,” Leon huffs. “She likes me more! And stop calling me creepy, we wouldn’t be having this conversation if _you_ liked to cuddle, now would we?”

Leon’s voice fades, as does Charizard’s snicker, and you bite back a grin. It spreads over your face when you glance to the cave wall. There’s plenty of wood piled up, so you toss another log onto the fire and pour water and ingredients into the pot. After bringing the stew to a boil, Leon and Charizard return empty-handed.

“No firewood?”

“I… couldn’t find any,” Leon mutters.

“We’re in a forest.”

You can’t make out his muttered rebuttal, so you lightly chuckle to yourself as you stir the stew. Pungent roots, some spice mix, noodles, a couple berries, and your dish is complete. Leon enthuses at the taste, and his tension fades as you chat over your dinner. He asks what kind of puzzles you’d have in your Gym if you were a Gym Leader, you ask him his favorite childhood memory, and he asks you the same.

You laugh and talk into the night, and after your dishes are cleaned and the fire starts to fizzle, a strange anticipation laces into the air. You’re watching the fireflies, as you have been the past few nights, and as you stand beside each other, it seems the smallest spark of electricity is coursing between you. His request from earlier drifts through your mind, and you wonder if he’s thinking the same as his fists open and close, as he shifts between his feet, as he toys with a few strands of his hair.

You yawn, stretch, and Leon glances to you. You lightly brush his forearm with your hand, offer him a nod, and he follows you back into the cave. You kick off your shoes and look back at him, he clears his throat, searches your eyes, and does the same. You crawl into the cot together again, it doesn’t take as much adjusting or as much creaking, though your heart seems to beat a little harder than it has been when he cautiously wraps his arms around you.

You both breathe out a deep sigh, Leon’s is laced with a satisfied hum, and as you close your eyes for the night, you wonder.

Leon is still a stranger, but it’s something about the wild, something about the stars, something about the soothing whisper of leaves and the breeze and the soft night chirps of the wild Pokémon around your camp that help you ease into his arms. Maybe you both are a little vulnerable, a little raw, a little hungry for human affection. Being away from any human for over a month must have been draining for Leon, and you can feel it in his hands when he holds you closer. The light of the moon gleams on the stones beneath you, as if it’s highlighting how he brushes your hair from your face. Perhaps he’s using you a little bit for your touch, perhaps you’re using him a little bit for his, or perhaps now that the societal expectations and the screens and the noise of the world aren’t blaring at you from every corner, this craving for intimacy, this quiet bit of the human condition, isn’t so scared to peek through.

Those thoughts quiet when you both melt against each other for the night, and as you teeter on the edge of sleep, you decide that now you and Leon are a little more than strangers.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kind words & kudos & views!! your validation has FUELED ME & here's another chapter!!!

You wake to the sounds of birds chirping and the soft rustle of cloth as Leon strokes through Growlithe’s fur. Your head is resting on one side of Leon’s chest, Growlithe’s head is resting on the other, and the sound of the slow strokes vibrate deep in your head.

You breathe in fully, take in the scent of sunshine, of the trees, and of the morning dew that fogs over the forest outside. Although you’re wrapped around him, lying on his chest, it isn’t until you feel the faint beat of his heart that you realize you’re waking up with Leon. He notices the change in your breathing as you start to wake, and he gently pats your shoulder next.

“Good morning,” he whispers.

“G’morning,” you whisper in return.

It’s strange, the intimacy of morning. Here you are, lying with someone who’s a little more than a stranger, having held him all night, having woke to the feeling of his heartbeat, and yet, you both haven’t yet broken the barrier of him touching you above your shoulder. You’re not sure what to say next.

So, you don’t. You reach your hand out, Growlithe sniffs, and you stroke through the fur on his face too. Your hand brushes Leon’s, and you feel his heartbeat against your ear again.

As your mind pulls itself from sleep, you wonder at the odd juxtaposition; to hold him so close, to have your body tangled with his, and yet, a brief touch of your hand made his heart skip. Without the cloak of night, the vulnerability you both feel is laid bare like a wound that just grew its first protective layer; it’s not open, and it’s not so willing to be seen, though it’s not so somber.

“Any nightmares?” Leon asks. His voice is gravelly from sleep, and your heart skips too because of it.

“No,” you say. “I think you have some special ability.”

“That must be it,” he says as he starts to stretch. His joints crack, Growlithe grumpily lifts his head at the movement, and he huffs when you start to shift too. “I’m glad though.”

You chuckle when Growlithe tries to lay his head down again, only to jump off when Leon stretches a second time. You wouldn’t mind staying here like this a little longer too, but you don’t succumb to that feeling and instead swing your legs over the side of the cot. You hoist yourself up and embrace a refreshing morning stretch.

“Today’s the day though,” you say excitedly as you turn back to him. His eyes flit up to yours, and you briefly wonder if Leon was watching you. “We can finally get out of this cave, see new sights, see more Pokémon.”

“I am so ready for that,” Leon agrees, and he stands as well. “Watching you train with Growlithe makes me want to train a new Pokémon too.”

This is the first time you’ve woken up together. Normally he’s awake and ready to leave somewhere when you get up, but you’re glad this new experience you’re sharing is tinged with excitement. You never seem to run out of conversations. As you and Leon start about your morning, enthusing about the days to come, you reaffirm that you both are now a little more than strangers.

After breakfast, packing, and laughing as Leon giddily brushes his hair again, you both walk down the familiar forest path. Familiar to you, at least, as even though you’ve been here for a week and it’s a straight line to the pond, you occasionally have to re-direct Leon. You now clearly understand why he’s been lost for a month.

You say goodbye to the pond, give your Wooper friends a final wave and some final pats, though Leon has to pull your arm to get you to continue when they look at you with their sad eyes and pouty lips.

“But they’re so cute,” you say through a quivering bottom lip. “Can’t I just take them all?”

“You want a team of one Growlithe and five Woopers?” Leon chuckles. “Odd tactic.”

You chuckle too and watch the Woopers blow their colorful bubbles into the air. Perhaps taking one wouldn’t be so bad, and now that Growlithe is warming up to you, you may be able to handle training two Pokémon. As you reach for your bag, the Woopers suddenly dart into the forest. Your brow furrows, because you can still hear their chirps, and a few keep poking their heads out to glance at you.

“What’re they doing?” you ask quietly.

They run up to you again, start pulling on your shoestrings with their mouths, start jumping up at your legs. You glance to Leon, and he shrugs.

“Okay, little Woopers, what do you want?” you ask as you take a step.

They excitedly chirp again and bound around your feet, then dart between you and the forest. As you approach the forest threshold, they dart back into the bushes, and dart back out accompanied with three Quagsire. Your jaw drops, then curves into a smile as the Quagsire approach you. The Woopers are still dancing around your feet, blowing bubbles into the air, and one of the Quagsire steps up to you, offering you something in its hand. You glance between its eyes, it’s outstretched hand, and when it holds its palm up to you, you smile.

“A pearl? For me?” you say. The Quagsire doesn’t nod, doesn’t shake its head, but the Woopers are smiling up at you too. It reaches its hand closer to you, and you delicately take the pearl. “Thank you.”

“Must be a family,” Leon says as he steps beside you. “Probably mom and dad right here, and maybe grandpa or grandma,”

You nod as your eyes flit between the Pokémon.

“I won’t break up their family then,” you say softly as you reach towards the Quagsire in front of you. It lets you gently pat it on the head. “I know someone who’s struggling with being far from family right now, I don’t want to be the cause of it in a Pokémon family.”

You glance to Leon with a small smile to see he’s intently looking into your eyes. You wonder what he’s thinking, when he looks at you like that.

“Right,” he says softly. You smile at him again, offer him a nod, and turn back to the Quagsire and Wooper family.

“It was nice to meet you all,” you say. “Thanks for letting me play with you, I hope you stay safe and enjoy this beautiful pond as long as you can.”

With a final pat to each, you and Leon finally turn, climb the slight incline to reach the top of the waterfall, and start down the dirt path beside the river it comes from. You fondly recall the memories of the past few days that lay behind you, and you eagerly anticipate what type of landscapes you’ll find next.

Leon is strangely quiet as you follow the path of the river. His brow is furrowed, and he’s staring intently at the ground as you walk. You’ve been following it for a while now, and he hasn’t said a word since parting with the Quagsire and Woopers.

“What are you thinking about?” you ask.

“You.”

He took no time to answer, and you raise your eyebrows. Leon continues his hard stare at the ground.

“You’re… you… those Quagsire,” he starts. “Quagsire are some of the most easygoing Pokémon in Galar, yet they focused enough to all come and meet you. Even on top of that, to give you a gift.”

You nod and ponder his statement. He doesn’t continue his thought, though it seems he’s processing it more. After a moment he stops to look at you.

“And you didn’t take one of the Woopers. You didn’t want to break up their family.”

“Yeah,” you say as your brow furrows. “I did say that.”

“That…” Leon says as he searches your eyes. “That doesn’t happen often. Many trainers don’t think that much about the effect they have on the lives of the Pokémon they catch, they don’t think about the ecosystem they’re interrupting.”

You nod again. The Woopers never seemed interested in going beyond the pond unless it was to reunite with those Quagsire anyway. They flinched whenever you brought out a Poké Ball, nor did they ever battle with you when you tried with Growlithe – why would you try to catch one when they obviously didn’t want to be caught? You’ve always believed that having a Pokémon is like a partnership – both of you must choose it. It was the same reason why you tried to never force your affection on Growlithe until he was ready.

Leon is still staring at you, still searching your eyes, your face.

“Is… that okay?” you ask hesitantly. You’re not quite sure what to say, though you can still see the cogs turning behind his gaze.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “That’s more than okay. You’re the type of person who needs to be a trainer. We need more trainers like you, who think about the Pokémon they interact with.”

You smile at the sentiment.

“And those Woopers loved you,” he continues. His gaze is intense, his brow furrowed, as he searches your face. “Enough to want to introduce you to their family. They felt such a connection with you, that they got their parents to give you a parting gift.”

You nod, though he doesn’t break eye contact. His gaze is intense, deep, and you can’t quite match it, so you glance to the ground.

“I’ve always cared about Pokémon,” you say quietly. “Glad to see some may care about me too.”

Leon doesn’t even nod at that, so you glance to his eyes again. His golden eyes are boring into you, like they’re staring to your very soul. Sweat starts to prickle on your brow.

“So, um,” you say awkwardly as you shift between your feet. Is he trying to communicate telepathically? Why’s he staring to intensely? Leon shakes his head into focus.

“Right, sorry,” he says. “Didn’t mean to stare. I… you’re… well let’s get moving, eh? Didn’t have such a dramatic goodbye just to stand around.”

He gives you a cheeky smile when you roll your eyes, and you start forward again. You mull over his words, and smile to yourself as you hike your bag higher on your shoulders. You appreciate Leon’s comment, especially since him and Charizard are astronomically strong, and especially since he seems to have a connection with every Pokémon he interacts with. Even if you and Growlithe aren’t anywhere near their level of power, his affirmation warms your heart to know that he thinks you should be a trainer too. You wonder if he could convince your parents on that idea.

As you travel, you’re happy to see you haven’t limped or winced at all yet, and you sigh at the fact that Leon was right again – it was good that you didn’t start out yesterday. You breathe out a hum and resign to the fact that since he’s survived out here for a month, you may need to heed his advice without pouting so much.

At the same time, you know your body, so you do convince him to travel into the evening when he tried to stop your traveling around lunch. You were still filled with energy, and traveling a few more hours was just enough of a push to help you grow stronger.

As the chill of dusk begins to bite, the strange, electric anticipation seems to start sparking between you again. You set up your tent in a clearing of trees, and as Leon unfolds the cot, he pauses. You meet his eye, he glances away, and you again wonder what he’s thinking.

“Let me sleep on the ground,” he says as you unfurl your sleeping bag. “You’re still healing, and this is the most activity you’ve had in days.”

“Leon,” you sigh. “I’m fine. I haven’t been limping, and my thigh only hurts if something touches it. You can have your cot, really.”

Leon purses his lips, and glances to the cot again.

“Counter proposal,” he mutters, and you bite back a grin. “We share just so we don’t argue.”

You’re not sure this counts as arguing. If he wanted to hear arguing, perhaps you could re-enact the fight you had with your parents before they kicked you out.

“Are you sure?” you say as your shoulders slump.

“Of course,” he says as he waves his hand at you. “Don’t want to argue with my navigator, that won’t do.”

You roll your eyes and chuckle, and when you stand to join him on the cot, Leon quickly – perhaps even eagerly - adjusts himself so there’s room for you too. He has to lift Growlithe up when he jumps up first, and you laugh again as your Pokémon squirms in his hands for a moment.

It doesn’t take as long to get comfortable, and Leon finally places Growlithe between his ankles. He leans over you to click off the lantern, your heart pounds at the pressure of his weight on you, and you slowly adjust again when he lays beside you. His hands are hovering over you, and you can feel him tense.

“Um,” he whispers.

“Go ahead,” you whisper, and he wraps his arms around you.

Perhaps holding him for two nights won’t be so bad. You wonder how often Leon asks for things in general, or at least asks things from people. He’s not very fluid with it, but it makes him less intimidating. You’re glad to know that he’s warmed up to you enough to ask you for something too. Well, almost ask, at least.

“Goodnight,” he whispers. “We did good today.”

“Yeah,” you say as you breathe out a sigh. “It’s weird being in a tent instead of a cave.”

“It’s warmer though,” Leon says, and you nod.

“It’s nice, I kind of like that it’s less open. I feel bad that Charizard can’t stay out with us though.”

You chat quietly for a minute, about simple things, and yet it seems to resonate profoundly between you when his sentences rumble through your body. When he starts pausing longer, you take that as your cue to close your eyes for the night.

After a restful night’s sleep (without any Bewear dreams, though you did have an odd one about an Alcremie sword fighting a Sudowoodo), you again wake to the beat of Leon’s heart. Most of your attention turns to Growlithe licking your face, though. You squirm away from the feeling with a whine, and Leon chuckles. Was he already awake?

“Isn’t it nice when your Pokémon warm up to you?” Leon says as he pats your shoulder. “Lots of good morning kisses.”

You groan in response and hide your face in his chest. Growlithe licks in your ear, that’s significantly worse, so you begrudgingly roll off the cot to get away from his slobber. You feel a bit better about greeting the morning when Leon laughs again.

After foraging in the berry trees by your tent, you and Leon have a simple breakfast, pack up, and start your trek again. You pause every so often to train, and after a hearty few battles with the wild Pokémon around you, Growlithe has gained a few levels. You haven’t managed to catch anything, though. The next two days pass similarly to the first, and you travel further north as you follow the river. At least, you’re pretty sure it’s north. You assume your compass is correct, and you double check your accuracy by using the stars as a guide when you stop for the night. Occasionally when night falls, you realize you’ve been traveling a tad off course. You and Leon both agreed that you wouldn’t get upset with each other when that happened, but instead you have to give each other three double-high fives. It was his idea, but you kind of like it because it diffuses your frustration quickly. That doesn’t mean Charizard doesn’t pout for an hour or two, though. He wasn’t as accepting as the triple double high fives as you were.

You also start to notice little things, here and there, but you never want to think about them too long. Every night Leon asks (without technically asking) to stay with you, until one night when you were on the brink of sleep on the ground in your sleeping bag, he pulled his blanket off the cot to sleep beside you anyway. It seems like Leon looks at you a little longer, it seems like he stands an inch closer whenever you speak, and it seems like he has the ghost of a smile on his lips when he sleeps. Every touch is gentle, and you aren’t as scared of the intimacy of night as you once were. You’re slowly growing to trust Leon, and he seems to slowly be trusting you.

When you wake to what you assume will be your final day of travel, you roll over, stretch, and see that Leon’s gone off somewhere. As you stroke through Growlithe’s fur when you adjust to being awake, you ponder. When you first met, Leon would wait until you were awake before running off somewhere, but now he waits until you wake to even get out of bed. You wonder what he’s doing this morning to break his pattern.

You shake off the blanket and lift your leg for your daily thigh-wound observation. It’s continuing to heal, and now it’s fully scabbed over, even starting to scar in some of the shallower gouges. Your feet are more sore than anything, now. You stand, stretch (as much as you can in the short tent), change, and step outside to embrace the morning air. It’s dewy, and the long grass tickles your ankles. You should be reaching the Watt trading station soon, as the trees of the Dappled Grove are starting to thin. Leon’s calling your name, and you turn your head to see him jogging up to you.

His grin is huge, and he’s bouncing between his two feet like a child. Your brows pull together, though his goofy smile is contagious.

“What?” you ask. His hands are held behind his back, and you chuckle when his smile grows.

“Pick a hand.”

You squint your eyes.

“Righ-”

Leon grunts.

“Uh,” you say again. Why’s he acting like this? He’s too energetic in the morning. “Left…?”

He giddily holds out his hand. You stare at his palm, then look at his wrist, look under, over, around it. Leon does too, and his brows pull together. He’s lifting his feet, turning around, and his face scrunches into a pout.

“Where’d he go?” he asks. How are you supposed to know that? Who’s he?

Suddenly you gasp when a Dreepy pokes his head out of Leon’s hair.

“Ah, there you are!” Leon says. He holds his hand up, and the Dreepy happily curls around it.

“You found a Dreepy?!” you ask incredulously. You step up to greet him, and the Dreepy happily sniffs your hand, then flies over and curls into your hair next.

“He found me, more like it,” Leon says. His grin hasn’t fallen as Dreepy explores your hair, your neck, your face, and you scrunch your nose when he licks it. “He must be lost, since Dreepy don’t normally live out here. He kept following me, and I figure we have so much in common if he’s lost too, so I just had to catch him.”

You laugh and nod at the sentiment, then again when Dreepy licks your ear. That one makes you squirm a bit though. What’s with your ears that make Pokémon want to lick inside them?

“Isn’t he cute?” Leon says as he holds his hands out for Dreepy again. “I actually found him in my hair and nearly had a heart attack. I think he thought it was funny.”

“Definitely cute,” you say with a nod. “Perfect for you.”

Leon raises his eyebrows, and you do too.

“I-I mean that he was lost, and you were lost,” you quickly backtrack. Leon nods, though his sly smile sticks on his face. “Do you know what level he is? Dreepy don’t evolve for a while, right?”

“Yeah,” Leon says. “I think he’s young, pretty inexperienced. Now Growlithe can have another training buddy.”

“Brilliant!” you enthuse. “That sounds great! Maybe we can even battle.”

Suddenly a flame seems to roar in Leon’s eyes, and his grin turns to something devilish.

“A battle, eh?” he repeats. “I like the sound of that.”

“Right, but no using Charizard,” you say as you set your hands on your hips. “If he uses his Air Slash, Growlithe is going to be blown to the next continent.”

“This is the perfect spot,” Leon says as he steps away from you. You raise your eyebrows again.

“Right now?” you say. “I just woke up.”

“No excuses,” Leon enthuses as he pumps his fists. “You’re a real trainer now, and you can’t back down from a challenge. Let’s battle, you and me, Growlithe against Dreepy. Whoever wins gets two back rubs.”

“Ah, so we’re putting wages into this, huh?” you grin. “Fine, can’t wait for you to work out the knots in my neck.”

The fire of competition is blazing between you – Leon especially. You’ve never seen him this fired up, so you gladly take your spot across from him in the clearing. His giddy grin is gone in place of the glint of determination, and he claps his hands against his cheeks. Before you know it, he’s already calling forth his first attack.

“Dreepy, Astonish!”

Dreepy lunges at Growlithe, who in turn tumbles backward from shock. It doesn’t take long before Dreepy attacks with a Quick Attack, and you can hardly think as Leon calls forth another order. How does he know Dreepy’s attacks already? How are they already so in-sync?! You struggle to keep up, Growlithe does some damage, though after a bout of Bites, Quick Attacks, Fire Blasts, and a final Infestation from Dreepy, Growlithe is down and panting in the grass.

You stare at Leon in shock, and he stands tall as he dusts off his hands. Charizard claps from the sidelines.

“Well, I’ll take one of those back rubs now, if you don’t mind.”

“That was incredible!” you enthuse as you pump your fists. “Absolutely amazing Leon, thanks for the battle!”

“You too,” he says with a megawatt grin. “You really held your own, you’ve definitely got better control of Growlithe’s attacks, too.”

“You think so quickly,” you say as you step up to him. “You were leagues ahead before I even had time to process what was going on. You’re an absolute expert.”

You enthuse with each other for a few minutes, and you’re sure you both have stars in your eyes as you babble about Growlithe and Dreepy and Pokémon and training in general.

“I’m so glad I have you,” you say enthusiastically as you grip his hands in yours. “I’m learning so much from you.”

He smiles again, and glances to your hands. You quickly yank them back, look at him apologetically, only for him to reach out and gently squeeze your hand again.

“I’m glad I have you too,” he says.

The sunrise is glinting through the trees, shining on the dewy grass, speckling in Leon’s eyes. Your heart kicks, and you set your hands in your pockets.

“I should…” you say as the heat creeps in your cheeks. “I should get some potions for Growlithe.”

“Make sure to spray it on his wounds and not in his mouth.”

You stick your tongue out at him, and Leon’s laugh echoes through the clearing. You do spray the potion onto Growlithe, though when Leon teases you again, you spritz it at him next.

After healing up Growlithe and Dreepy, paying Leon his reward of one of his two back rubs (where he reminds you that you still owe him one from in the cave), you both pack up and start on your way again.

The air isn’t as thick as much of the forest was, and you breathe in the clear air as you step down the path. Your shoes crunch over the dirt, and your eyes follow the trail to see that it’s more worn than the thin trails you’ve been following. The river is starting to thicken from the trickle it was, and is now gurgling beside you as you walk.

“We must be getting close to the Watt trading station,” you say as you gesture towards the path. “This trail is much more worn down than the ones we’ve been on.”

“Thanks to your great navigation,” Leon grins as he pats your back. “Ace work.”

You chuckle in response, and smile as the sun warms your face. There’s still a slight chill from the morning, though the dew on the grass is starting to dry. You predict you’ll reach the station before evening.

You walk and talk and continue to learn about each other as your conversation stays on the topic of Pokémon battles. You ask him to reveal every single thing he was thinking during your battle so you can learn, and after a while, Leon chuckles.

“You’re lucky, you know,” he says cheekily as he flips his hair behind him. “Not many people get my advice so easily.”

“Oh?” you say as you raise an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“I’m not so easily accessible to everyone,” he says as he playfully squints his eyes at you. “Duh.”

“Duh?” you repeat. “What are you, some superstar or something? The king of the country?”

Suddenly Leon slightly trips in his steps, though he quickly recovers with another laugh.

“Yeah, that’d be funny, huh,” he says, though this laugh doesn’t sound like his normal laugh. You raise an eyebrow again. You let it go in favor of watching the path in front of you.

“Have you ever thought about being a Gym Leader?” you ask conversationally. “You’re really good.”

“Nope,” Leon says quickly. “Never thought about being a Gym Leader.”

“What abou-”

“My friend Sonia,” Leon interrupts. “My friend Sonia is a researcher. She’s real good, too. Her and her gran research Pokémon. Dynamaxing, especially.”

“Oh, with Professor Magnolia?” you ask. “My mum said I should have helped her with her research instead of being a Pokémon trainer.”

Your mind reroutes to your new conversation as Leon talks about his friend. He seems enthusiastic to talk about her, so something pricks in your mind.

“Is she your girlfriend?” you ask.

“What?” Leon repeats. He had been babbling at you non-stop for a few minutes about Sonia.

“I asked is she your girlfriend?” you repeat. “Sonia? You seem quite eager to talk about her.”

“No!” Leon says, and you jolt back at the unexpected volume. “I mean, no, uh, no she’s not. I’m single. Super single.”

You nod as you continue down the path. Dreepy has been floating between you, so you hold your hand out for him to sniff. You give him a pat, and he curls on top of your head.

“That’d be tough,” you say. “To be away from your family and a partner for so long.”

Leon nods too.

“Yeah. I could date, if I wanted to though.” Leon says casually. “I’m not against it, just because I have to turn away a bunch of people doesn’t mean I’ve sworn off dating or anything.”

You raise an eyebrow.

“A ton of people?” you repeat. Again, not the end of the world, but strangely pretentious.

“Oh, you know, I mean a normal amount of people,” he quickly backtracks. “I have a normal amount of people who’d want to date me.”

What does that even mean, a normal amount? You don’t push the matter, and instead give an emotionally ambiguous nod. You walk in silence for a while, only for Leon to break it again.

“How about you?” he asks as he casually strolls beside you. “Anyone missing you back home?”

“Probably my friends,” you say with a shrug. “They all know I’ve wanted this forever though, so they were all happy for me when I left.”

Leon hums an ‘oh,’ and you continue down the path. Dreepy floats over to him next and curls around his neck so his head is resting on Leon’s shoulder. After another minute Leon speaks up again.

“How about anyone else?”

You purse your lips.

“Mmm, maybe my grandparents. They were more accepting of me wanting to be a Pokémon trainer than my parents were. I know I miss them.”

You hear a huff and glance to the side to see Leon rubbing over his face. He meets your eye and quickly shoves his hands into his pockets.

“Y-yeah, yeah I miss my grandparents too,” he says conversationally.

You toss a branch for Growlithe, who happily chases after it, then returns it to you. You toss it a few more times as you walk down the path, and Leon clears his throat.

“Anyone _else?”_ he repeats.

You shrug, and Leon grumbles something under his breath.

“Like a _special_ someone?”

“Oh, I see,” you say. “No, I’m also single, though I don’t have a ‘normal amount of people’ trying to date me.”

You thought he’d chuckle at that, though Leon just breathes out a sigh and nods.

“Ah, cool, cool,” he says as he purses his lips. “Yeah, that’s nice.”

You motion to question him again, though your eyes catch on a building in the distance.

“Look,” you say with a grin. “I think that’s it!”

You start to pick up the pace, only for Leon to grab your hand. You turn back to him with a quizzical look.

“I need a disguise.”

“…What?”

“In case anyone there recognizes me.”

“Why would they recognize you?”

“F-from my job, I mean,” Leon stutters. “Just in case there’s someone there from my job, and they want me to come back immediately.”

You stop and set your hands on your hips.

“What is the likelihood of someone knowing who you are?” you say as you raise an eyebrow.

Leon shifts between his two feet.

“W-we can’t risk it, just in case,” he mutters.

He seems determined about this, so you shrug.

“Alright, I guess,” you say. “You’ve got that hat, and you can easily put on a hoodie with the hood up. Your hair is probably really obvious, though.”

“Yeah,” Leon says with a nod. “It kind of explodes everywhere.”

“Want me to braid it for you?” you offer. “It’ll be easier to hide, and it’ll hold together better than a ponytail.”

Leon nods, then pulls you back into the forest. He sits on a log, and you step around behind him as he pulls his hair from his neck.

It’s long, flowing, and you hesitate before touching it. There’s a part of you that has been aching to brush his bangs from his face, though you’re not sure why. You pause, gently brush your fingers through his bangs, he leans into your touch, and a bit of that yearning in you wanes.

“You want double braids?” you ask to distract yourself from the strange pull in your stomach. “They could be super cute.”

“Yeah and why don’t you put some flowers in too while you’re at it.”

You chuckle and figure one braid should be fine, and you set to work. It takes quite a bit of effort to smooth down his cowlicks, as they seem determined to stick out perpendicular from his head, though after wetting it down with some spit (despite Leon’s initial rejection), you’ve finally pulled all of his hair into a long braid, and just in time, too. Your fingers were starting to cramp.

“Alright,” you huff as you give him a final pat on the shoulder. “I think that should count as one of your back rubs.”

“What?” he whines as he stands. “No way, that wasn’t part of the deal.”

You hold your hands up to him.

“Look at my hands,” you say. “Your hair is crazy thick, you can see my fingers trembling. That’s got to count for something.”

Suddenly Leon reaches towards them, gently takes your hands in his, and rubs over each of your fingers. He presses them between his thumb and his forefinger, rubs into your palm, rubs over your wrists. You glance to his eyes, though he’s watching your hands as he works.

“I get hand cramps sometimes from all the Poké Ball throwing,” he explains. “I figured out a good tactic to ease some tension.”

Your heart is beating a little harder, and your face warms to see his hands so deftly moving around yours. They’re a little rough, bigger than yours, and the command in his movements makes that strange pull in your stomach pull harder. After a moment, he encloses your hands in his and meets your gaze.

“Feel better?”

“Um, yeah,” you say quietly. “Thanks.”

“I was also thinking,” Leon says as he looks to the trading station. He still hasn’t let go of your hands. “Perhaps you should go up first, Charizard hasn’t been in his Poké Ball in a while, and I have a feeling it might take some time to persuade him.”

“Sure,” you say. “I can meet you in there, I suppose.”

“Well,” he says. He holds your hands to his chest. “I guess this is goodbye.”

Your brow furrows, and Leon’s eyes widen.

“J-just for a bit,” he says quickly. “That was supposed to be a joke. Please, I still need your help to get out of here.”

You chuckle and nod. Part of you wants to smooth out the crease between his eyebrows, though he’s still holding your hands to his chest. You pull back slightly, and he immediately lets go. After ignoring how his eyes glint in the sunlight, you step back onto the dirt path, and you point to the Watt trading station.

“You see that?”

Leon nods.

“Go there. Don’t go anywhere else that isn’t that building.”

Leon chuckles and nods again.

“No wandering, no chasing after cool Pokémon, no gallivanting through the forest.”

“Got it,” Leon says with a decisive nod. “No gallivanting.”

“So, if you get lost for another month it’s not on me.”

Leon’s grin grows, and he rolls his eyes. You raise an eyebrow and he turns you by your shoulders.

“I won’t be long,” he says as he gently pushes you forward. “I’ll meet you in there.”

You wave a goodbye, and you both turn and set down your paths. Growlithe is looking between you and Leon as you continue, and your heart stops. He wouldn’t…

After a quick yip, he trots next to you, and it’s like you can breathe again.

“You almost gave me a heart attack,” you mutter to Growlithe. “It’d probably break my heart if you stayed with him.”

Growlithe yips again, and bumps his head against your leg. You take a moment to give him belly rub, a hug, and a smooch on the forehead, then start down the trail.

“He won’t be long,” you explain to Growlithe. “Probably.”

The building goes from a fuzzy bit of brown to a handful of cabins the closer you get. There was a Watt trading station near the train station, though that one was simpler compared to this one. The map depicted this as one of the largest bases in this half of the Wild Area, and your eyes scan the property the closer you get. The river runs beside it, and the other side is laced with trees from the Dappled Grove, though they aren’t so tall as they were deep in the forest.

The sun shines over the humble cabins, and they glow light brown in the light, almost to match the dirt beneath your feet. You smile when you see people and Pokémon bustling about, chatting with one another as they walk between the buildings.

You reach the end of the path and step up to the front gate – though it isn’t much of a gate, more of a single wooden bar attached to a hut. There’s a man standing in it, or slouching in it would be a better term. He’s resting his head on his fist, and his cheek is pushing up enough to where you’re not sure he can even see through his right eye as he scrolls through his phone.

You and Growlithe approach the window of the front desk. He continues scrolling and you rock back and forth on your feet. Does he… does he know you’re there…?

“Hel-”

“This is the Watt trading station please keep Pokémon over seven foot and over four hundred pounds in Poké Balls at all times and know that we are not responsible for any lost or stolen items so how may I help you today.”

You blink a few times as you process his introduction, though apparently you aren’t responding quickly enough, because he heaves a sigh, rolls his eyes, sets his phone on the counter, and glances at you. It hardly takes a second before he gives you a once over and suddenly stands straight.

“I mean, he- _llo_ , welcome to the Watt trading station,” he says with a grin. He’s got awfully sparkly teeth. You wonder if he bleaches them. “My name’s Watt, well technically it’s Wyatt, but they say dress for the job you want but I go a step above, because that’s just the kind of man I am.”

“Hi Watt,” you say. “It’s so refreshing to meet another human out here.”

“We get that a lot,” he chuckles. His eyes trail down your frame again, and you lift an eyebrow. That wasn’t even subtle. “What we don’t get often is such a _beautiful_ visitor.”

You pause, process, and you resist the urge to roll your eyes when he flashes his sparkly smile at you. Nice, what a charmer.

“Right,” you say, and you lean back when he leans towards you. “Do you have wares? Or is this one of the trading stations that has services too?”

You wouldn’t mind a hot shower, and some of the Watt trading stations have bunks you can rent. The amount of buildings here lends that they do, and you saw a Pelipper flying about, so hopefully you and Leon can send letters to your families. And, as much as you love Leon’s cooking, it never really tastes like much, so perhaps they’d have some hot meals you can buy. Or maybe something fancy, like juice. The thought makes your mouth water.

“Just to clarify,” Watt says as he sets his chin on his fist. “Are you asking for the Watt trading station services or Watt’s services? I’d be happy to provide either.”

Yikes. Poor guy’s probably bored out of his mind, you wouldn’t be surprised if he hit on any person with a pulse. He probably goes by Watt just so he can use that line.

“Watt trading station,” you say, and his sparkly smile falls. He stands tall and heaves out a sigh, and you almost let slip a chuckle.

“Follow me, then.”

Watt steps out of the hut and gestures to you. You fall into step with him as your shoes crunch along the dirt path. Little flowers speckle the edge of the path, winking yellow and baby blue against the dark green of the grass.

“We’ve got a couple packages for trainers,” he says with a nod. “Otherwise bunks are 200 Watts a night, and meals you can pay for at the time.”

He gestures towards what you assume must be the cafeteria, because a succulent scent wafts from the open doors, and your mouth waters again.

“Though,” he says as he glances back at you. “I get meals for free, I’m sure I could persuade the cooks to give us one to share.”

“That’s alright,” you say as you glance around. It’s exciting to see new people, and there are more here than you thought there would be, given the fact that you’re out in the middle of the Wild Area. Or at least the west end of it. You wonder how many of these people are trainers.

Watt guides you down another path, and you smile to see a handful of different Pokémon – at least those that are under seven feet and four hundred pounds. There’s a Bunnelby, a Hakamo-o, and you grin when you see a Gardevoir and Grapploct. Growlithe seems excited too, as his tail is wagging vigorously as he greets a Boltund walking by.

“Here’s the women’s bunks. Even if you came with a partner of the opposite sex, we ask that you separate to keep all of our guests comfortable,” Watt says as he gestures towards the cabins. He gives you another sparkly smile, and this time even adds a wink. “And if you didn’t come with someone, then my cabin may be a little more comfortable.”

“That’s nice,” you say mindlessly as your eyes flit over the cabins. They’re well-made and well-worn, and they look less dusty than that cave and more comfortable than your tent. You wonder how long this station has been here. It seems relatively lively for being in the middle of the Wild Area, and it’s refreshing to see new faces. You offer a small smile and a tilt of the head to the people walking by you, and they do the same. You haven’t interacted with any women since you’ve started out, even all your and Leon’s Pokémon are male. It’s heartwarming when they offer you smiles. One even offers you a grimace of understanding when Watt grins at you again.

“And here’s the training field,” Watt says as he stops in front of a grassy clearing. “It’s first-come first-serve, though we request that trainers limit themselves to one or two battles if the day gets busy. If you have large Pokémon, you can have them out here.”

You nod again, imagining all the brilliant battles and matches that have taken place on this field. Perhaps you can battle with Leon again, or maybe one of the people you saw walking down the paths. Growlithe fighting that Boltund, or maybe that Gardevoir you saw, maybe their attacks would spark in the air as the river glistens beside you. Maybe Leon would cheer you on from the sidelines. Your heart swells at the idea as Watt starts guiding you back down the path.

“So,” he says as he casually strolls beside you. “My shift ends in an hour, if you’re not busy maybe I could show you some of the _finest_ views this place has to offer.”

“I’m actually meeting someone,” you say. “He might be here any minute, but thanks for the offer.”

“…he?” Watt repeats.

You hold back another chuckle.

“Yup,” you say. “I think that’s him right there.”

Leon has his familiar hat and hoodie, though he’s added a scarf to his ‘disguise’ as well. It’s surprisingly effective – it took you a moment to identify it was him or not, though the Dreepy on top of his head clued you in.

Watt gives him the brief tour, though it’s much quicker and filled with fewer smiles, and the first stop you and Leon make is the cafeteria.

“I hope they have juice,” you say as you step into the large cabin. “That’s one thing I didn’t think I’d miss too much.”

“Or lemonade…” Leon repeats breathlessly. “I can’t even remember the last time I had lemonade.”

You and Leon step in line, pick out a vast array from the buffet, pay the staff at the end, and gratefully take your seats at one of the long tables in the hall. There are other people trickling in, but it’s still a little early for dinner, so it’s only you, Leon, the staff, and a few other trainers that are speckled throughout the wooden cafeteria.

Leon lowers his scarf, and you both easily delve into your meal, and both groan at the flavor.

“Brilliant,” Leon mumbles through a mouthful. “So good.”

“Mhmm,” you hum through your own full mouth. “Much better than all the packaged stuff we’ve eaten lately. I hope they’ve got stuff for sale, I didn’t see a store.”

“I did,” Leon says as he nods his head out one of the windows. “Down that way, that tour guide bloke briefly pointed it out. Think they have a mail room too, which’ll be nice.”

You nod and enjoy your dinner, offering Growlithe a food chunk here and there. They had a vast selection of Pokémon food too, and you’re impressed by how well-run this station is.

The sun starts to set, and casts an orange glow into the large room. The arched ceilings curve and capture the light, and brightens the tables and people around you. You smile to see more trainers trickling in with their Pokémon, though Leon pulls his hood closer around his face.

One of them lets you pet their Zweilous, and when you turn back to Leon, you notice he’s glaring.

“You okay?”

“Do you know that guy?” Leon asks as he nods his head towards Watt at the counter.

“That’s the tour-guide-front-desk guy,” you say as you take another bite of your dinner. “His name’s Wyatt, but he says he goes by Watt.”

“Keeps looking over here,” Leon mutters.

“Maybe he thinks your braid is cute,” you joke as you take a sip of your juice. Mmm. Juice. You didn’t think juice could taste like such a delicacy. Leon scoffs and crosses his arms.

“Or maybe he thinks you’re cute,” he mumbles. “He’s been staring at you this whole time.”

You shrug. Dreepy floats over to you, and you feed him a bit of fruit.

“I think he’s just bored, honestly,” you say. “He hit on me when I first came up, but I can’t imagine how many girls he’s used those lines on.”

“He hit on you?” Leon asks as he keeps his eyes on Watt. “I can talk to him if you want.”

“I wouldn’t bother,” you say. “He’s harmless.”

Leon grumbles something, squints his eyes, and eats his toast a little more forcefully. You take another sip of juice as your eyes flick between Watt and Leon. Leon’s holding his fork a little harder, and his jaw seems tense when he looks back at Watt. Your curiosity gets the best of you, and you give a nonchalant shrug.

“He did invite me to his cabin,” you say as you offer Dreepy another fruit slice. Leon stops chewing. “Haven’t decided what I’ll do.”

“I’ll decide for you,” Leon grunts as he shoves another toast slice into his mouth. “Don’t go to his cabin.”

“I dunno,” you hum. “He’s kinda cute.”

“If you like terrible posture and greasy hair then sure,” Leon grunts again. “He’s the prettiest boy in the world.”

You let out another hum. Interesting.

You finish your meals, return your dishes, and you both start walking out of the cafeteria. As you pass the front desk, you feel the ghost of a touch at the small of your back. You nearly shiver at the icy glare Leon shoots at Watt as you pass by, and once you step out into the fresh air, the feeling on your back disappears.

…Yes, very interesting.

You stop at the mail room first, and Leon’s friendly countenance is back when he excitedly picks out the stationary with the Wooloo on it.

“Hop will love this,” he says with a grin. “I should write one just for him, he’d like that. Then I’ll send another for my mum.”

You pick out stationary as well, pay the mail room attendant, and find an outdoor table to settle into. Leon quickly gets to work on writing, and your heart swells at the sight. He’s hunched over his paper, his tongue is poking out, and you bite back a grin when you see him chuckle at something he wrote. He has to shoo Dreepy away every time he tries to bite the end of his pencil.

You tap your pencil eraser against the table and set your chin on your fist.

What are you supposed to write? Who should you write to? Your parents? Do they even care? They were the ones that kicked you out, would they try to force you to come home if you tell them you almost died? Or that you’re traveling alone with a handsome man who sleeps next to you every night? Perhaps you should leave that part out. Memories of your last conversation with your parents flash through your mind.

_You know what’s going to happen? You’re going to give a half-assed effort, then give up like you always do._

_I won’t!_ you had said. _I mean it this time, I’m going to be a Pokémon trainer._

 _Right,_ your father had scoffed. _You won’t catch more than one Pokémon._

_Your father means well, love, but do you know how hard being a trainer is? It will be challenging for you to catch anything, let alone win any battles._

You chew on your cheek as you tap your pencil against the table. You press your pencil against the paper, only to lift it again. You press it down, write a few words, only to erase them.

After starting over three times, you force kind words out of the lead. You tell your parents you miss them (because you do, even though you bickered), and you say you hope they and the rest of your family are doing well. You tell them about how you’ve caught a Growlithe and emphasize that he’s almost up to level 20. You don’t mention your lack of other team members, but you do tell them that your berry and plant knowledge has come in handy – they’d appreciate that. You write about the Woopers and the Quagsire, and again highlight the bond you formed with the Pokémon around you.

You glance up to see that Leon is writing smaller to fit everything on his letter, until he ultimately gives up and uses the backside of the page too. You’ve finished and sealed your letter into an envelope, so you twirl your hair around your finger as he moves onto his second letter.

Yes, he is quite handsome, even when he’s slouching and laughing to himself. You remember back to the strange look in his eyes after the Quagsire, and you feel over the pearl in your pocket. You again wonder what he was thinking when he looked at you like that.

Leon is a little strange, though you are glad he was the one that found you. The Bewear attack seems so long ago now, even though it was only a little more than a week and a half ago. You’ve learned so much within that time, grown so much closer to both Growlithe and Leon, and Charizard, too.

You remember back to your battle, to how him and his brand new Pokémon absolutely annihilated you without blinking. He has incredible talent, and you were shocked to hear that he had never thought about being a Gym Leader. Even you had thought about it, though you’re practically dirt beneath his feet in comparison to his skill. You wonder why he hadn’t thought about it before.

You don’t wonder long, as Leon sits up straight and sets his pencil down with a satisfied hum.

“Well, that’s finally finished,” he says with a grin as he shakes out his hand. “Can’t wait to send these off so my family knows I’m not dead.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate it,” you chuckle.

You drop your letters off just in time for closing, then you guide Leon to where the cabins are. You’re to turn right, and he’s to turn left, though you both pause at the fork in the road. Leon breaks the silence.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” he says. “For the night.”

You nod.

“This is kinda weird,” you say. “This will be the longest time apart we’ve had yet.”

“Try not to miss me too much,” Leon says. His deadpan breaks when the corner of his mouth twitches up, and you roll your eyes.

“Well you just made it a whole lot easier to leave,” you joke. “Goodnight, Leon.”

That strange anticipation sparks between you. Should you… hug…? Or something? The thought makes you a little sweaty, so you wave goodbye instead and head to your assigned cabin.

As you curl into your sleeping bag on the bunk, Growlithe snuggles against your stomach. Not before looking around a bit, though.

“He’s in another cabin,” you explain as you stroke through his fur. “We’ll see him tomorrow.”

This seems to satisfy Growlithe, so he lays his head down. It does feel strange, not having Leon snuggled against you too. This bed seems too large for just you and Growlithe. You toss and turn a few times, and settle on facing the window. You gaze at the moon for a while, Growlithe is peacefully snoozing beside you, and you nearly scream when a head appears in the window.

“Leon?!” you hiss. “What the hell?!”

He’s saying something, but you can only hear the brief muffle of his voice until you slide the window open.

“Hi.”

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” you hiss. “You’re lucky no one else is in here.”

“I’m glad I got the right cabin, too,” he says with a nod. “Not sure how I would have explained myself if you were some random person.”

“What do you want?” you sigh as you rub your eyes. Growlithe is already up and licking Leon’s cheek, and his signature grin inches onto his face.

“I want to show you something.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MINOR TRIGGER WARNING: For mental health. It’s brief, but some of the thought processes the reader goes through this chapter may be triggering/upsetting for some readers who struggle with insecurities/mental health concerns surrounding feeling ‘not good enough’. Please take care of yourselves, and know that you are excellent & loved!

“I want to show you something.”

You set yourself up on your elbows and rub over your face.

“Can’t it wait until morning, Leon?” you sigh. “I was just about to fall asleep.”

“Nope,” he says. “Gotta be tonight. Right now.”

You sigh, motion to settle onto your pillow again, only to meet his eyes. His sad eyes. You glance down to his lips. His pouty lips. Growlithe turns and mimics Leon’s expression. Your gaze flits between Leon’s and Growlithe’s big, sad eyes, and their pouty lips.

No, you can do this. You can be strong. You can avoid their sweet pouts and their desire to have you accompany them.

“Please?” Leon asks softly.

You can ignore his gentle and vulnerable request, especially when the moon is shining behind him and highlighting his stupid cowlicks that are sticking out again. His lip is quivering, so you purse yours in defiance. How’s he making his eyes sparkle like that when it’s so dark out? You give the biggest eye roll you can muster and groan a response.

“ _Fine._ ”

Leon’s pout quickly curves into a grin as you start to slide off the bunk.

“Wait!” Leon whispers. You glance to him. “You have to come out this way.”

“Out the window?” you repeat. “Why?”

“It’s part of the experience.”

You motion to retort, only for Leon to quickly interrupt.

“I’ll owe you a back rub.”

“Hm,” you say as you consider his offer. Go out the door like a normal person, or climb out the window like some preteen to see whatever rubbish he wants to you see at midnight… And a back rub. Seeing as you haven’t gotten one yet, perhaps a few minutes of whatever Leon wants you to see won’t be so bad.

Leon’s grin grows when you lift the window higher with another sigh. Growlithe lightly hops down, and you try to climb out next. Key word being try.

“This is stupid,” you hiss as you start to wriggle out. “Why can’t I use the door?”

“I also don’t want any of the staff to see us,” Leon whispers in return. He holds his hands out for you, and you’re glad, because you weren’t quite aware of your center of gravity shifting when you slide an inch too far out. You tumble out of the window, Leon deftly catches you, and lightly sets you on your feet. It takes you a moment to process, but when his fingers press into your waist and when your hands splay over his chest, your moment is up and you quickly back away with a muttered ‘nice catch.’

The long grass beside the cabin tickles your bare feet as you both start forward, and Growlithe is snapping his teeth at the little fireflies that flicker around his nose. The soft sounds of your footsteps press into the grass as Leon guides you for a minute or two, and you shake the dew off your cold ankles when you finally step into the neatly mowed lawn of the training field clearing. The crisp air bites at your nostrils, and you shake your feet every few steps so they don’t go numb. Maybe you should have worn shoes. You glance behind you, only to turn again when Leon pulls on your hand.

“We’re almost there,” he says with a giddy grin. He hasn’t let go of your hand as he pulls you along, and he finally releases yours to set his hands in his pockets. You’ve reached the edge of the training field that stops at the river, and you turn to see Charizard waiting for you.

Charizard gives you a nod of greeting, he bumps noses with Growlithe, and you look around. It’s too dark to see much, though the occasional sparkle of fire from Charizard’s tail dances on the ground, and the full moon casts a bluish glow over the river that calmly babbles over the banks. Moonlight flickers on the water’s surface, just as the sound of Bug Pokémon’s quiet chirps flicker in the night. Without the occasional silvery glint of the water or the handful of trees on the opposite bank, it’d be challenging to decipher where the river stopped and where the sky began. You turn to Leon again.

“You wanted to show me the river?”

“I wanted to show you something _in_ the river,” he says. He turns to Charizard next. “Charizard, Fire Blast, but just a small one.”

Charizard nods, and shoots a fireball over the river. It fizzles out quickly, and the glowing embers waft into the water. You wait a moment, and then another, but when you turn to Leon with a furrowed brow, he only gestures towards the river again.

The embers are floating on the water’s surface. That can’t be right… When you squint your eyes, the light seems to grow. Suddenly you see another flicker, and then another, and then another and a handful more. Lights are shining beneath the water’s surface, glowing and flickering as if they were the ripple of a skipped rock. The fireflies above the water start to flicker more consistently, until they shimmer like the stars in the night sky above your head.

The yellow lights continue to glisten on and off until their ripple reaches the edge of the river. You lean down, the water laps at your hand, and you smile when a Pokémon bumps its head against your palm.

“Chinchous?” you whisper.

“Lanturns, too,” Leon says as he kneels beside you. He brushes over the Chinchou’s head next, its antennae shimmer brighter, then it ducks away into the dark water. “They must react to the light of the fire, Charizard and I were training when I noticed.”

Charizard shoots off another small fireball over the water to prove Leon’s statement, and again the water starts to glow. You stand with a gasp as the yellow lights glitter underneath the water, how the fireflies flicker above it, and how the stars shine over your heads. You never knew what color sounds could be, but the colors of tonight seem to fit well. The dark indigo hums calmly like the water, and the bright flickers of yellow are crisp, just like how the occasional wave laps at the shore, or when a Chinchou breaks the surface. You turn to Leon again, only to see he was already watching you. You quickly glance away.

“It’s so beautiful,” you say.

“I thought you’d like it,” Leon says quietly. “I was hoping it would make you smile.”

Your blush deepens, especially when Leon smiles at you again. Well, he was right, it did make you smile. His hand brushes yours, something flicks in your heart, just as the fireflies flicker around you when you meet his eyes again. They speckle golden in the light of the moon, of the stars, of the fire of Charizard’s tail and the glowing Chinchous in the river.

“Excuse me,” comes a huff from behind you.

You stuff your hands in your pockets, and you and Leon turn to see a disheveled Watt stomping towards you. Suddenly you feel the ghost of a touch at the small of your back, and Leon instinctively steps an inch closer to you.

“There were complaints of Pokémon attacks being fired out here,” Watt says as he sets his hands on his hips. His sentences are tinged with a lisp, and you can see the glint of a retainer when he opens his mouth again. “Please note that the training field closes at dusk. And it is past dusk.”

“We were just on our way,” Leon says calmly. Watt’s eyes flick to you, then between Leon and Charizard, and his grimace falls into something of awe.

“Wait a second,” he says to Leon. “Aren’t you-”

“Just about to leave?” Leon interrupts. “Yep, thanks for the reminder.”

Leon pulls his hood over his head, returns Charizard to his Poké Ball, and you quickly step around Watt.

“Close call,” you whisper. “Guess some people do recognize you from work.”

“Yeah,” Leon says as he glances behind you. “If he went any further with that sentence, I’d threaten to throw his retainer in the river.”

You gasp and swat his arm, though you can’t help but let the laugh escape.

“You’re so mean,” you say. “Leave Watt and his shiny teeth alone.”

“Mmm,” Leon hums as he scratches his chin. “Maybe.”

You push his arm again and he chuckles. He mocks Watt again, you try to stifle your laughter, though you’re grateful when you finally make it back to the cabins. Just in time, too – your feet are definitely numb.

“I’m not climbing back in through the window,” you say with a huff as you turn to Leon.

“I’ll probably climb in through mine,” Leon shrugs. “Gotta complete the experience of sneaking out.”

You roll your eyes when he grins.

“Goodnight, Leon,” you say. The huff in your voice fades when you meet his eye again. “And… thanks for thinking of me, of wanting to show me that. It was really beautiful.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Leon says. He keeps your gaze, and again the intensity in his eyes makes hard not to squirm. “I, um… I like it when you smile.”

He’s standing closer than he normally does, though you quickly decide it’s because it’s dark and you’re hard to see or that you’re whispering and you’re hard to hear.

Except, those rationales seem to fizzle when that strange anticipation sparks between you again. It seems to pull you closer together, pull you towards Leon from somewhere deep inside your stomach. The dark of night is cloaked over you, so you don’t push him away when Leon gently reaches to brush the hair from your face.

“Ex _cuse_ me,” comes a voice from behind you. “I don’t want to have to process any more complaints tonight, if you two don’t mind.”

You bolt away from Leon to see Watt scowling at you again. You glance to Leon, he raises an eyebrow, and you chuckle at the image of him furling a retainer dripping with whitening paste into the river. You tell him goodnight again, and finally head back to your cabin.

You wipe off your wet feet on the doormat and glance around the cabin. It’s small, with only a few bunks pressed against the walls, and the curtains flutter from the open window. You’re still the only one in yours, so you let Growlithe continue to stay out with you. After a swig of water and brushing your hair again, you curl back onto your bunk for the night. Hopefully your feet start to warm up soon.

Images of the glowing Chinchous and Lanturns flicker behind your eyelids, just as they did in the river. Leon’s smile flickers next, and you feel that pull in your stomach again, though perhaps it was just Growlithe snuggling against you. You nestle into your pillow, and you let yourself think about Leon’s smile just one more time.

Your eyes shoot open when you hear a soft tap and your whispered name. You bite back your excitement, ignore how your heart thumps, and try to be stern when you turn.

“What now?” you ask. Just as thought he might be, Leon is sheepishly looking at you from outside your window.

“I, uh, I can’t find my cabin.”

Your stern countenance immediately melts when you breathe out a laugh and shake your head.

“And what do you propose we do about that?”

“Well, I’m already at _this_ window, and there’s no one else in _your_ cabin…” Leon mumbles as he glances to the side.

You raise an eyebrow.

“S-so I was thinking we could, you know,” Leon mumbles again. He sheepishly meets your eye. “I can owe you two back rubs?”

“Counter proposal,” you say, and Leon grins. “Two back rubs, and we battle tomorrow.”

“Deal,” Leon says with a decisive nod. He hoists himself in through the window, knocks the air out of you when he lands on top of you, and neither of you can quiet your laughter as he tries to squirm his way in without alerting the entire Watt trading station.

“Ow, Leon, your elbow is in my ribs!” you say as you try to push him off. His laugh is rumbling against you, and even more so when Growlithe starts licking his face. “You’re going to kick the window out!”

“I’m not, I’m not,” Leon says, though when he shimmies himself in further, the windowpane reverberates when Leon accidentally smashes his foot against it. “Oh shit, no wait see it’s fine it didn’t break.”

“We’re going to get Watt fired,” you laugh when he kicks the window again. “Leon!”

“Sorry! Sorry, see it’s fine,” Leon says as he finally manages both of his legs in. “Good, that’s less girls he’ll traumatize with his retainer spit. Move, Growlithe.”

Leon tries to push Growlithe’s slobbery kisses away as he finally makes it all the way in through the window. He flops against you, knocks the breath out of you again, and you both lay there for a moment as you try to muffle your laughter.

“Graceful as ever,” you say as he finally rolls off of you, though you both burst out laughing again when Leon slams his knee against the wall. “Would you be quiet?!”

“It was an accident!” Leon huffs. “Okay be quiet go to sleep.”

“You can’t tell me to be quiet,” you gasp. “You’re the one that’s flinging around everywhere.”

“I’m not flinging anything,” Leon hisses. “Though I’m going to fling your Growlithe out the window if he doesn’t keep his tongue in his mouth.”

“Growlithe, use Lick,” you say, and Growlithe gleefully obeys and licks Leon’s face some more.

“Eugh he got in my mouth!” Leon coughs.

You motion to retort, only to shush Leon when you hear the crack of footsteps over twigs out your window. You and Leon make wide-eyed eye contact, and you hurriedly unzip your sleeping bag to hide Leon beneath it. You pinch him when he giggles again, and he quietly curls himself around you. You can feel the heat of his breath on your chest, though you ignore it in favor of trying to hide his thick purple hair that is fanning everywhere.

The footsteps are growing louder and closer, there’s no time to close the window, so you turn discreetly as the beam of a flashlight shines in your room. You try to slow your breathing, try to telepathically get Growlithe to calm down, until the beam of light disappears, as does the crunch of footsteps. You breathe out a sigh and Leon does too. You unfurl the sleeping bag from his head, and choke back another laugh to see half of his hair is sticking to his face.

“It was really hot in there,” he explains. You help him push a majority of his hair out of the way.

As you both finally start to settle down (though he hisses at you again when you press your cold feet against him), you figure it won’t be so bad if he stays with you.

“Glad I got to you first,” Leon whispers as he pulls you against his chest.

You were slowly falling under the haze of being half-asleep, though you try to focus enough to offer him a response.

“What do you mean?”

Leon gently adjusts behind you, curls his arms around your waist, and you can feel his breath ruffle your hair.

“That stupid Watt guy wanted you in his cabin,” he explains as if it were obvious.

“So?” you mumble. Why would you stay with him and his lisp-y retainer?

“So,” Leon says with a huff. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t stay with him.”

“Why would that matter?” you ask groggily as you try to look at Leon’s face. You can feel Leon’s arms tense around you.

“I-I, I mean,” he says quietly. He stumbles over his words a few times. “I mean it doesn’t, it wouldn’t, I mean. H-he’s just stupid and you’re not, s-so I wanted to make sure that you were with me instead, o-or, that you, um…”

Your brow furrows, though a sly smile inches onto your face.

…Interesting.

“Go to sleep,” he suddenly whispers. “You didn’t hear any of that.”

You bite back a chuckle, and figure that perhaps you and Leon might be beyond being a little bit more than strangers.

The night is peaceful, and the bunk doesn’t seem so large now that Leon is sharing it with you and Growlithe. You wake to the soft morning breezing in through the window, to the sound of the curtains fluttering in the dawn, and to the feeling of Leon rubbing gentle circles on your back.

You hum and nestle closer to him.

“Can you get my shoulders?” you mumble.

“Good morning to you too,” he says with a chuckle. You nuzzle against him at the sound, and he dutifully obeys. His fingers push under your shoulder blades, at the base of your neck, right behind your jaw where it meets your ear, then down the line of your spine. You unintentionally shiver at the feeling, and Leon raises his eyebrows.

“Ignore that,” you mutter as your cheeks flush. Maybe having him touching you so much isn’t the best way to hide the feelings that have slowly been building the more you’re around him.

Leon drags his finger up the line of your spine, just enough to make your shirt barely lift, and you shiver again.

“ _Leon,_ ” you huff, and you hide your face in his chest as your cheeks flush deeper. Maybe you can train your body to not react to his touch, though that doesn’t seem too likely at this point.

“Sorry, sorry,” he chuckles. “Just wanted to test something.”

You roll off of him in mock-frustration, though half of you is fearful he’ll be able to feel how hard your heart is beating. Growlithe was sleeping between your knees, so he stands and stretches, then trots over for his first round of morning kisses. He gets in Leon’s mouth again, and you can’t hold back your laugh.

You sit up, push your hair from your face, and groggily offer Leon a smile.

“So, how do you plan on getting out of here without being caught?” you ask.

He shrugs.

“Eh, I’m not that worried about it. We’re leaving today, what are they going to do? Kick us out? Threaten us with retainer spit?”

You laugh and hit him with your pillow, and again tell him to leave Watt alone. After a bit of back and forth, Leon pauses, and squints his eyes.

“You know, you kind of remind me of my little brother,” Leon says with a smile. Your brow furrows. “You both have such genuine smiles, like the kind only innocent little kids can have.”

You’re not sure why those words make your smile fall, or why you feel a cold water dribble beneath your skin. You nod, though you don’t want to risk a forced smile right after he said that.

“Oh, um, thanks, Leon,”

He nods.

“Yeah, I mean it,” he says. “Well, I’m going to go get cleaned up, gotta shower off this Growlithe spit. I’ll meet you at breakfast.”

“Sure,” you say. Leon gives you a salute, and hoists himself back out the window.

You wait a while before standing. You can’t seem to muster up the energy to hop out of bed when a thought drifts through you.

…Little brother?

You’re like… a sibling?

An innocent little kid…?

That feeling of cold water courses down your skin again, as if the color gray is softly pressing against you. You try not to think about it as you get ready for the day, but you can’t seem to move your feet any faster, can’t seem to keep your vision focused when that thought repeats in your head.

Just a sibling. He sees you as a sibling. An innocent little kid. He would have led Hop to the river to see the Chinchou lights, he would have led Hop to the Wooper pond to enjoy its refreshing beauty, he would have cuddled with Hop at night to make him feel safe. Your stomach sinks when you realize how much of an idiot you must have looked like to think anything different.

Growlithe seems to notice your lethargy and bumps his head against your leg. He looks up at you with big eyes, though you can’t manage any expression in return. You lean down to pet him.

“I… I think I’ve misunderstood Leon,” you tell Growlithe. “But… that’s okay, I guess.”

Growlithe tilts his head.

“Yeah, that’s okay. We’re just travel partners, so it doesn’t really matter.”

It takes a few extra minutes, though you’ve finally readied yourself for the day. Your shoes crunch along the dirt path, and you kick a rock along as you make your way to the cafeteria. The baby blues and the yellows of the flowers framing the path don’t seem as vibrant as they did yesterday.

You step into the cafeteria, you ignore Watt’s sparkly greeting, you pick out a light breakfast, and sit at one of the long tables. You watch Growlithe eat, though you can’t manage to do anything but push a few berries around your plate with your fork. You force yourself to look up and smile when Leon sits across from you.

“Hi again,” he says. “So I’m thinking we can pick some supplies up at the store, have our battle, and then start out again, what do you think?”

You nod.

“Good,” he says through a mouthful of his breakfast. “Though I will miss having lemonade here. I don’t really want to weigh my bag down any more with cans of it.”

You nod again, and force a berry into your mouth. It doesn’t taste like much. Leon swallows, and looks at you with a furrowed gaze.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah,” you reply, though you didn’t work very hard at being convincing. “Just… didn’t sleep that well last night.”

“You seemed fine this morning,” Leon says as he scans your face. For the first time you’re upset at how perceptive he is. “Is something else bothering you?”

You don’t meet his gaze. He just cares about you as he would anyone else that didn’t sleep well. Better not get your hopes up.

“No,” you say, and you pop another berry in your mouth.

“It wasn’t that Watt guy, was it?” Leon presses. “Because if he said something else to you I can-”

“I said I’m fine.”

Another bout of cold water seeps through you, though this time it hardens like a rock in your stomach. Leon’s eyebrows pull together, and he doesn’t finish his sentence. You eat in silence, return your dishes, ignore Watt again, and step back out into the fresh air.

“Perhaps a Pokémon battle may help,” Leon says as he strolls beside you.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” you reply as you force another smile. You wonder if Leon can see through it. Either he doesn’t or he doesn’t mention it, because you both stop at the small store the Watt trading station provides, stock up on some well-needed supplies, drop them off at Leon’s cabin, and head to the training field.

There’s a few trainers scattered around the edges, though there’s no Pokémon battle currently taking place. You and Leon step over the grass, and you gaze at the river. Memories from last night flicker through your mind just as the Chinchou lights did under the water, and you let out a sigh. It was a beautiful night, and you did have fun with Leon when you went back to your cabin, though the memories sting now that you realize he only sees you as a little sibling.

It’s fine, though, it’s not like you were ever even friends to begin with.

You repeat that thought in your head as you stand across from each other. Growlithe trots forward, Leon calls out Dreepy, and you try to compose yourself as the battle begins.

You hold your own for a while, as you’re more aware of how Leon battles. It almost seems familiar, the way he claps his cheeks, or the way he brims with energy, or the way he calls Dreepy forth with unwavering confidence, as if he had never lost a battle in his life.

Growlithe lands more hits than he did last time, though your thinking is slowed. You last longer than you did your last battle (but that wouldn’t take much), and before long, Growlithe is down again. Dreepy quickly flies over to Leon, Leon gives him a pat on the head, and steps over to you.

“Good work,” he says. “You lasted longer this time, seems like you’re catching on. I'd watch Growlithe's defense, though. He's quick and he's got a powerful special attack, but he doesn't have time to embrace those qualities if he's getting hit too often. Make sure you're watching for him too.”

You nod.

“Thanks for the battle, Leon,” you say. Leon reaches out to you, you flinch away, and his brow furrows. He opens his mouth to speak, only to turn when another trainer approaches you both.

“Excuse me,” she says. “That was a brilliant battle! Would it be okay if I battled you both too?”

Leon looks between you and the trainer.

“Oh, thank you,” Leon starts. “But we were actually-”

“You should battle with her,” you tell Leon. “You’re quite skilled, I’m sure you could both learn a lot from each other.”

“Yes,” the girl says with a slight bow. “I’d be honored, I could really use some dynamic training. Do you mind if I battle with you first, though?”

You nod, and Leon gives you a soft smile, though he doesn’t reach out to you again.

“I know she can learn a lot from you, too,” he says gently.

After healing up Growlithe, you face off against this trainer and her Boltund. Growlithe and Boltund bound back and forth, heeding your calls as fire and electricity spark. Dust kicks in the air, a handful of trainers settle on the sidelines to watch, and sweat starts to prickle on your brow. Growlithe is growing weaker, and your mind flashes to how embarrassed you’ll feel if you lose again with all these people watching – with Leon watching.

You try to focus on watching Growlithe's defense, but your mind is lagging, and you can’t even seem to remember all of Growlithe’s attacks. Your voice catches in your throat, it’s too late to call out anything else, and your prediction of your feelings flourishes when Growlithe hits the ground again. The sidelines clap, and you try to soften the crease in your brow when you step up to shake the trainer’s hand.

“Thanks for the battle,” she says. “I was kind of hoping it would be longer, though.”

Your heart sinks, and your cheeks stain red with shame.

“Yeah, um, sorry,” you say as you set your hands in your pockets. “I’m a new trainer.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” she says with a kind smile. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually. Hopefully I can battle your friend too, though, get some real training in.”

You don’t respond, and instead head to the sidelines yourself. She follows you until you pass Leon, and you don’t wait for his comment as you continue to the benches on the sidelines.

You step off the field and listen to the tail end of their conversation. She introduces herself to Leon, Leon introduces himself to her, he cracks a joke, she giggles, and your heart sinks again. You heal up Growlithe and settle on the sidelines to watch their battle.

“Good job, buddy,” you say as you stroke through his fur. “I’m real proud of you for working your hardest for two battles in a row.”

Growlithe yips and wags his tail, though it slows when he looks into your eyes. You give him another pat, and you’re surprised when he curls into your lap. It is comforting, though, so you scratch behind his ears as you watch Leon and the Boltund trainer battle.

Leon is quite talented, this trainer is too, and she lasts much longer against him than you did. It doesn’t take long before a line starts to form, as many trainers start getting a glimpse of the man in the hoodie with the Dreepy.

You force another smile when Leon steps up to you after securing another victory.

“Good work out there, Leon,” you say. “You’ve won two in a row.”

He shrugs and wipes the sweat from his brow. You offer him your water bottle which he gratefully accepts.

“Thanks, but it’s getting so bloody hot out there with this rubbish disguise on. Can’t take it off, though, so I guess I’ll just deal with it. Would you mind waiting for a few more battles, then we can head out?”

“Sure,” you say. “I don’t mind tha-”

“Hi, are you the trainer with the Dreepy?” a trainer asks. Leon turns and offers her a nod.

“Yeah, you want a battle?” he says.

“Absolutely! I’ll be the one to beat you, seeing as you haven’t lost yet.”

“We’ll see about that,” Leon says with a grin.

You watch the spark of competition flash between the two of them, and you bite your lip. The trainer doesn’t bother to look at you as she sets her hands on her hips.

“I’ve got three Pokémon, though, is that fine with you?” the trainer asks. “I’m hoping to get a little bit of training in for all of them.”

“Well,” Leon says as he scratches his chin. He turns to you. “If I have two Pokémon, it could be more of a fair fight. Perhaps I could borrow Growlithe for a battle?”

You bite your lip and glance down to Growlithe.

“He… he hasn’t won any battles yet,” you say quietly. “But he could always use some more training.”

“Brilliant, thanks mate, I promise I’ll take good care of him,” Leon says. He motions to pat you on the shoulder, pauses, then leans back again. He ushers Growlithe out onto the field with him.

Hot tears sting in your eyes when you watch them. You try to blink them back, though through the blurry liquid you can see Growlithe take down two of the trainer’s Pokémon. He’s successful when he’s with Leon. If he’s a powerful Pokémon when he’s with Leon, then it’s not Growlithe that’s the problem.

The words your mother said drift through your head.

_Your father means well, love, but do you know how hard being a trainer is? It will be challenging for you to catch anything, let alone win any battles._

_let alone win any battles._

_let alone win any battles._

_let alone win any battles._

Stupid. They were right.

Leon wins again, and as he chats with the trainer, you think back to the advice some of your friends gave you before you left. Although most of your friends were supportive, you had a few that warned you about starting a Pokémon journey, just as your parents did.

_Are you sure you’re not doing this for the attention?_

_Yeah, just to live out some fantasy or fairy-tale? Like one of those Pokémon trainer love stories?_

_No,_ you had said. _I really do love Pokémon! I wouldn’t say no if I found someone along the way, though._

You had shrugged, expected your friends to laugh and nod, but they didn’t.

_Are you serious? That’s why you’re doing this?_

You watch the trainer trip in her steps, watch Leon graze his hand over her waist, and your stomach sinks deeper. Your friends were right, too. This isn’t some fantasy, this isn’t some windswept romance where you and Leon will ride Charizard off into the sunset. You sigh and tuck your knees to your chest.

Someone like him wouldn’t like someone like you anyway. You can’t manage to catch more than one Pokémon, let alone win any battles, and he’d probably want someone strong, someone capable, not someone who had less skill with Pokémon than a child. He thought you were innocent, naïve, like a little child.

Just a sibling, a little sister, that’s all you were, that’s all you are, and that’s all you could possibly be to someone like him. He didn’t want your touch, he just wanted touch, and the evidence stitches into reality his hand grazes the small of the girl’s back when she stands straight again. You wonder if she shivered at the touch, just as you did only hours before.

It doesn’t matter.

You tear your gaze away and try to be enthusiastic when Growlithe comes bounding up to you.

“Great work, Growlithe, I’m so proud of you,” you say. You give him a smooch on his forehead as Leon comes walking up. “I’m glad you finally had a competent trainer to help you win.”

You don’t look at Leon, though in the corner of your eye, you can see his smile fall. He steps closer to you, so you flit your eyes up to meet his. You don’t keep his gaze long.

“Good work, Leon,” you say quietly. “You won again.”

He opens his mouth to reply, though he closes it when another trainer comes up.

“Hi, can I battle you too?” the trainer asks enthusiastically. “I know I’ll be the one to actually beat you.”

Leon’s gaze flicks between you and the trainer. He gives the trainer a smile and a tilt of the head.

“I’ve been battling for a while, so I’m going to give my Pokémon a break,” Leon says. “There’s plenty of competent trainers around, though, I’m sure one of them would be happy to battle you. Besides, we need to start traveling soon, anyway.”

“What, you scared you’ll lose?” the trainer says with an impish grin.

“No,” Leon says. “I said my Pokémon need a break. And right now, I need to focus on something that isn’t a Pokémon battle.”

“Tch,” the trainer says as he crosses his arms. “Yeah right. You’ve battled with everyone else so far, why sto-”

“He said no,” you snap. “If you want to battle then ask someone else.”

“And why should I listen to you?” he sneers. “The only thing you’ve proved to be good at is sitting on this bench alone.”

Frustration closes your throat, and you choke down your scathing rebuttal as you stand and turn. You grab your bag, sling it over your shoulders, and stomp off.

_let alone win any battles._

_let alone win any battles._

_LET ALONE WIN ANY BATTLES_

_LET ALONE WIN ANY BATTLES_

_LOSER_

_FAILURE_

_NOT GOOD ENOUGH_

The words tear through your head as you break into a sprint. Growlithe is trying to keep up with you, and you ignore how Leon calls your name. You run past the cabins, run past the gate, run down the path and into the trees.

You’ll prove them wrong. You’ll prove everyone wrong. Your parents, your friends, that rubbish trainer. You’ll catch something, then you’ll go back, battle him, and grind him into sand.

Your eyes flick around wildly until they land on a Pancham in the trees. Growlithe shoots a Fire Blast at it, the Pancham ducks, retaliates with a Low Sweep, Growlithe lands a Bite. You hurl a Poké Ball, you miss, it hits the tree, cracks in half, and the Pancham flees into the grass.

You find a Grubbin, Growlithe hits it with an overpowered Fire Blast, and it’s too weak to catch.

You find a Stufful, its cry tears into your ears, spurs the tears from your eyes, and you miss again when you hurl the Poké Ball.

The Stufful runs off, and you chuck another Poké Ball onto the ground as the frustration bubbles hot in your body. It cracks, and the snap cuts into your ears. What are you doing wrong? You hide your face in your hands when the hot tears sting in your eyes, and you slump into the grass. You grip the broken Poké Ball and hurl it at the tree across from you.

You were right from the beginning, they were right from the beginning, you weren’t cut out for this, you aren’t cut out for this, and the broken Poké Balls lay as evidence around you. You try to push the tears away with your palms, but they tumble out too quickly.

Leon calls your name, and you hide your face in your hands. He calls you again, it’s much more frantic, and he quickly kneels beside you.

“There you are, what’s going on?” he asks.

You sniffle again and turn from him. He’s too perfect, he’s too good at everything, Pokémon follow him around, he wins every battle, he couldn’t possibly understand.

Though, the gentility in his voice when he whispers your name again, it seems to seep right into your heart. You let him pull your hands from your face, though you won’t meet his eye. He breathes out so softly, and again, it’s like the sound swirls in your chest.

“Why are you crying?” Leon whispers. “Please, talk to me.”

Your face scrunches as you try to keep the tears at bay, though they continue to fall as Leon softly brushes the sleeve of your shirt. His touch is so gentle, and it spurs more tears as you shake your head. You can’t manage out any words, your frustration cuts them off in your throat, so you only shake your head again as you hide your face in your hands.

Leon breathes out another sigh and settles himself next to you.

“I can’t do it,” you whimper into your hands. “It’s rubbish, all of it, and I’m wasting my time.”

“Can’t do what?” he whispers. His fingers barely brush your sleeve.

“Being a trainer,” you huff. “I can’t do it.”

With another sob, you fall into him, and he quickly curls his arms around you. Leon lets you cry into him for a while, and you grip his sweater in your fists. Frustration and embarrassment choke your sobs, and you can only manage to shake your head as the heat of your emotions sear within you.

“I can’t catch anything,” you cough out. Your voice is muffled by the cloth. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, I’ve been out here for so long and I can’t manage to catch more than one Pokémon.”

Leon gently brushes your hair from your face, softly pushes it off your neck.

“And that rubbish trainer told me I was only good at sitting on the bench and the other one said I wasn’t even good training and my family and my friends were all right and it’s all so hard.”

You try to speak through your hiccups. Just like a child would.

“And then you’re so perfect and Pokémon follow you around and listen to whatever you say and Growlithe can win but only when he’s with you and he deserves a better trainer than me and, and-”

Your voice cracks when another sob bursts out, so you bury your face in his sweater again.

“Oh, no,” Leon says quietly. He breathes out a laugh as he holds your head to his chest. “Please, don’t compare yourself to me. I’ve been training Pokémon my whole life, I’ve had such a head start. You need to give yourself more credit.”

You sniffle, wipe some tears from your face.

“You’ve barely had a month of being a trainer,” Leon continues. “But you’re eager to learn, you’ve got one Pokémon who would die for you, and you care about Pokémon much more than a lot of other trainers I’ve met. And I’ve met a _lot_ of trainers.”

You cry into him for a while, and after a minute Leon coaxes Growlithe over to you. You hold your hand out for him, he quickly crawls into your lap, and starts licking the tears from your face. This spurs a giggle from you, though you can’t get away from the slobber since Leon is so close. He chuckles too, and gently pushes Growlithe away, though it takes a few tries.

“See?” Leon says. “Look at all those kisses. Growlithe loves you, and is happy to be with you. You’ve had the time to build a strong bond with him, and that’s because you’ve been able to focus all your attention on him. Imagine where your relationship would be if you had to wrangle six new Pokémon from the start.”

You don’t really want to imagine that, honestly, especially with how often Growlithe would bite you when you first met. You nod, and Leon rubs your back. You let Leon hold you for a while as your tears start to ebb.

“Quality over quantity,” Leon says. “That’s why I only took Charizard out when I first came for my weekend of training. I wanted to dedicate all of my attention to him for a bit, so he could get my best, and I could get his best.”

You nod, and wipe the tears of your cheeks with your sleeve. His rationale resonates pleasantly in your head, and it grows strong enough to push out the frustration. Growlithe licking your face again helps, too, as if he’s eager to prove Leon’s statement of the quality time you’ve spent with him. You give him a hug, hold him for a minute as Leon holds you, and you heave out a final sigh.

“So,” you say quietly. “Does this count as one of my back rubs?”

Leon chuckles, and squeezes you tighter.

“Nah, this one is free of charge.”

Your giggle is a little congested, but Leon doesn’t seem to mind, because he squeezes you close again.

Perhaps it is okay that you’re new. You do need to start somewhere, and it’s not like you’re completely unaware of Pokémon. The pearl those Quagsire and Wooper gave you sit as an example in your pocket, just as it has been ever since they gifted it to you. You’re eager to learn, eager to love, and you’re proud of yourself for making it this far with only one Pokémon. Perhaps you’re an even better trainer than you thought.

You wouldn’t mind two Pokémon though, just so you can prove your parents wrong. Sometimes just a _little_ bit of spite can be fueling…

“Leon?” you say quietly.

“Hm?”

“Will you…” you start nervously. “Will you help me catch a Pokémon?”

Leon nods again.

“I don’t want you to do it for me though,” you quickly add. “I want to do it myself.”

“Of course,” Leon says. “I bet you’ll have a new team member by the end of the week. You can nickname it Leon is the Best as thanks.”

You laugh at that, and he squeezes you tighter.

“You can do it,” he says into your hair. “I know you can. You’re strong and determined, and any Pokémon would be lucky to have you as a trainer.”

“Thank you, Leon,” you say.

“You’re welcome,” he says, and he gives you another squeeze. “Can we get off the ground though? My butt is getting wet.”

You chuckle and roll your eyes as you both stand and brush off the grass and dirt. After helping you pick up the broken Poké Balls, Leon sets his hands on his hips.

“One more thing,” he says. You raise an eyebrow. “I think a standing-up hug will help you feel even better, what do you think?”

“Versus a sitting-down hug?” you ask, though a smirk inches onto your face.

“Exactly that,” he says with a decisive nod. “Different locations, different effects, I’m sure you understand.”

“Oh, but of course,” you say. He holds his arms out, and you accept his invitation.

Leon pulls you close again, holds your head against his chest, and you can feel his heartbeat against your ear. It’s quick, and he lets go just as you’re sure you felt his heart skip.

“Alright, that counted as one of your back rubs.”

“What?!” you whine. “No way it didn’t.”

He chuckles and shrugs.

“Fine, but just because you’re so cute.”

You squint your eyes at him. You ignore how your heart pounds as his sentence from that morning shoots through your mind. Cute little kid. Innocent little kid. That’s what he meant. You shove away the disappointment that’s seeping into you in favor of standing tall.

“Alright,” you say. The determination glints in your eyes, and it seems to glint in Leon’s as well. “These wild Pokémon better watch out.”

“Do you mind if we stop at the Watt trading station quick, though?” he asks. “I think I left Dreepy back there.”

“Oh, geez, yes,” you say quickly as you gather up Growlithe and your bag.

“Great,” he says with a grin. You start to turn, only to have him stop you by holding your shoulders. That intensity is blazing in his eyes again. “I meant it when I said that. Any Pokémon would be lucky to have you as a trainer, and I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

You pause.

“A friend?”

Leon smiles and nods, and it makes his cowlicks wobble.

“Of course. We’re friends, wouldn’t you say?”

You let that little bit of hope seep into you again, and your smile grows.

“Yeah,” you say quietly. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no offense to retainer-wearers. I speak from experience, for I too know the pain of overactive salivary glands.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks all for reading & commenting it all means the world to mmeeee & here’s a long ass chapter please enjoy (or don’t enjoy, i’m not here to tell you what to do)

_“Leon, what did you do?!”_ you hiss. Leon looks back at you with an impish grin.

“Nothin.’”

He’s been acting strange all morning, and you suspiciously take another bite of your sandwich. You both decided that one more day at the Watt trading station would be wise, seeing as you won’t be near any other sort of civilization for a while as you trek to the Giant’s Seat. After another half day of training yesterday, you had still lost every battle you took part in, hadn’t managed to catch any Pokémon, so Leon suggested you both take this morning off to help cool your frustration. You gratefully slept in, took it easy at the river this morning with Growlithe, and you and Leon are both preparing to head up and around Lake Axewell after lunch. You’ve got everything packed and ready to go on the seat beside you, and are just finishing lunch before exiting the opposite end of the Watt trading station.

Last night was also the first time you and Leon hadn’t slept beside one another since your fever. He had asked (without technically asking) to stay with you, though you declined by saying you wanted a bit of time to yourself. He said that would be healthy for him too, and you parted ways at the fork in the road near the bunks.

Although part of you did need some time to diffuse, you also wanted time to try to get over your little crush on Leon. If he saw you as a little sibling, then you didn’t want to add any unnecessary tension or expectations between you, and you didn’t want to put him in an awkward situation of traveling with a girl who was smitten. You were doing fine, and you could feel yourself slowly getting over it, up until the second you saw him that morning, up until the second he smiled, and up until the second he sprinted to you to give you a hug.

Yeah, that didn’t really help, nor did it help when he spun you around and told you he missed you (and Growlithe, though he stuttered that out after he set you back on your feet).

He was awfully cheeky this entire meal, though you couldn’t quite pry it out of him as to why. His eyes kept darting around the cafeteria, until you finally gave in with a huff.

“Did you do something sneaky?” you ask. He gives a nonchalant shrug.

“Maybe.”

You squint at him. His gaze keeps flitting to the front desk, and your eyes widen when you see Watt scrolling through his phone.

“What did you do?!” you repeat, and Leon bites back his smile. It doesn’t work very well, but he does give another ambiguous shrug.

“Nothin.’”

You take another bite of your sandwich, then offer Dreepy the crust.

“Hm, I wonder what the weather will be like today,” Leon says casually as he pops a chip into his mouth. “You should ask Watt, see if he can check it on his phone.”

You squint harder, and your curiosity gets the best of you. Leon’s grin slips as you stand and start your way to the front desk.

“Excuse me,” you start. “Watt?”

Watt glances up, then suddenly stands straight. His shiny smile appears, and you choke on your spit.

“How may I help you?” he asks.

You can’t respond, because you slap your hand to your mouth when you see his teeth stained a deep green. You whip your head to Leon, who whips his head back to the table, though you can see his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Oh, uh,” you stutter. You try to force your smile into a neutral expression. “I was just wondering if you knew what the weather would be like today. We’re headed up and around Lake Axewell.”

“Of course,” he says smugly. He tries to raise his eyebrow in the most charming fashion, but you can only focus on the shimmering green sheen of his teeth. He taps into his phone, glances up at you every few seconds, and smirks again. “Looks like it’ll be sunny. Perfect day for a picnic, and I’ve got some free time later, if you’re interested.”

“That’s okay,” you say. The laughter is dangerously bubbling in your throat, so you offer Watt a thanks and make your way back to the table. “ _Leon!”_

He snorts again, and his lemonade bubbles because of it.

“What did you do?!” you repeat. “Did you turn his teeth green?!”

 _“I_ didn’t do _any_ thing,” Leon replies. “I just had some extra flavored water I thought he might like.”

“You didn’t poison him, did you?!”

“No!” Leon huffs. “It’s just a special food coloring I picked up from a traveling merchant eons ago. I finally found a worthy recipient of it. It’ll be gone in a week.”

“A _week?!”_ you hiss as he snickers again. “You’re going to get us kicked out!”

“He doesn’t know who did it,” Leon says as he finishes his lunch. “He doesn’t even know it happened.”

Your heads whip to the front desk when Watt screeches. He’s baring his teeth at his phone screen, turning it back and forth, and he turns his glare to you both.

“Or,” Leon says quietly. “Maybe he does.”

You both quickly gather your things, drop off your dishes, and try to discreetly and nonchalantly walk out of the front doors. You overhear Watt muttering on his walkie-talkie.

“Hello, yes, I’ll need some backup. It’s the same trainers that were out on the field past dusk, the same ones that stayed together in the women’s cabins, and the same ones who hogged the field yesterday. They avoided the fine and being banned last time, and I do not intend for that to happen again.”

You and Leon share a wide-eyed glance and break into a sprint once you exit the cafeteria.

“Leon!” you hiss as Growlithe yips excitedly beside you.

“I didn’t think this would happen!” he replies as you both run through the property. Two Rapidash-mounted security guards break out of the stables behind you, and you and Leon start running faster. “Isn’t this a little extreme?!”

“Not sure I want to stop to talk to them about it!” you reply.

You run for a few seconds, and the Rapidash are quickly gaining on you. Your eyes tear through your surroundings, until they land on a woman. The river that runs through the trading station must empty out into the lake, because she’s fiddling with some rope at a dock. You skid to a stop behind her and have to pull on Leon’s hoodie to keep him from running straight into the water.

“Excuse me,” you say breathlessly. “Can we get a ride to-”

“Hello?!” the woman yelps as she whips around. She takes in your and Leon’s haphazard appearance, and how your chests rise and fall with each puff of breath. Her eyes catch on the Rapidash and security guards gaining on you, and her grin showcases a missing front tooth. “Whaddya need, hon? Running from the law? Ya gonna elope with your honey here? Ya running from a jaded ex-lover?!”

She had leaned closer with each prediction until you can clearly see the cataracts in her left eye.

“Oh, uh,” you stutter as you try to catch your breath.

“Now that’s _drama_ ,” the woman enthuses as she leans closer to you and Leon. She slings an arm around both of your shoulders and pulls you towards her boat. “I like it, I like it, I’ve been there a couple times myself. I’ll take you wherever you need as repayment to the Froakie witch in the stump.”

“Thanks, um, I guess,” you say as you and Leon step into her boat. You return Growlithe to his Poké Ball and Dreepy curls around Leon’s shoulders. “Can you take us to the other end of Lake Axewell? And, uh, quickly?”

“You got it, babe,” the woman says with a grin. She hobbles to the other end of the boat, and you and Leon grip to the sides as it rocks. She’s flinging some ropes around as she speaks to you. “You two lovebirds got names?”

“Oh, we’re not lovebirds,” Leon says as he watches the Rapidash running at you. “Friends and travel partners, is all.”

“Unrequited, eh?” she says as she glances to you, and you sink a little lower in your seat. “Pity, though I know the pain well.”

She carries on about her past lover Ricardo as she steps around the boat, nearly tipping it over with each step. You wonder if it’s possible to get seasick without actually moving. You anxiously glance to the Rapidash and security guards.

“And that’s why I started going by Gramma Tut,” she says with a nod as she finishes her story. “And that’s also why you can’t trust a Machamp in heels and boxer briefs.”

“Grandma Tut,” you start. “Not to rush you, but we can pay you in Watts or-”

“No, no, not _grandma_ ,” she huffs. “Gramma. Shorter. Sweeter. Rolls of the tongue. Don’t pay me ‘till we get there, ‘cuz first I gotta make sure you get there.”

You and Leon share a look.

“Also,” Leon says suddenly as he leans over the side. “Are those Sharpedo? Aren’t those illegal on the mainland?”

Gramma Tut flashes her crooked grin.

“Only illegal if ya get caught, eh sweet cheeks?”

“Sweet cheeks?” Leon repeats.

“Alright, you cats ready to FU-” her sentence is interrupted when she honks the boat horn. “-IN’ _FLY?!”_

Gramma Tut snaps her goggles over her eyes. She slaps the boat on the side, and you and Leon share another wide-eyed glance as the engine kicks on. The Sharpedo the boat is connected to bite at each other and start tugging forward.

“Hold onto those sweet cheeks, sweet cheeks!” she cackles as she pulls the lever beside her. “You ain’t gonna get caught by the fuzz if Gramma Tut has anything to say about it!”

You’re suddenly jolting forward, and Leon has to launch the top half of his body to keep Dreepy from flinging off the side. The wind and your hair are whipping around your face, and you can barely keep your eyes open as the force of the wind rips against you. You can faintly hear Gramma Tut’s cackle over the sound of the wind and the waves.

The boat hits a wave, launches into the air, the sun glistens on Gramma Tut’s bald spot, and you lurch again when it hits the water. Your sandwich is churning in your stomach, and you suddenly wish you hadn’t eaten so much for lunch.

You figured she’d slow the boat down once you got away from the shore, but Gramma Tut seems determined to keep shooting forward at a billion miles per hour. It hardly takes any time until you suddenly see a new bank fast approaching. You try to open your mouth to warn her, though you quickly close it in favor of keeping your sandwich in your stomach. You manage a glance to Leon to see his cheeks rippling from the wind and his hair shooting straight backwards.

The bank is quickly approaching, and the Sharpedo suddenly skid sideways. The boat hits the bank, all three of you launch out of it, and land in the sand in an unceremonious heap of tangled hair and limbs and belongings.

After the sand settles around you, you all let out a collective groan.

“Still haven’t figured out how to stick the landing,” Gramma Tut says as she spits out a mouthful of sand. “Alright, that’ll be 40,000 Watts.”

“40,000 Watts?!” you repeat incredulously as you sit up. “We don’t have that much!”

“Alright, then a kiss from sweet cheeks here will do the trick,” she says as she puckers her lips.

Leon bolts up, and his eyes frantically flick between you and Gramma Tut’s crusted bottom lip.

“Uh,” Leon stammers as he quickly crawls backwards. Dreepy floats in front of him, and Gramma Tut gives him a smooch instead.

“Hm,” Gramma Tut says as she smacks her lips. “Not as moist as I expected. Didn’t mind that bit of tongue, though.”

You and Leon make wide-eyed eye contact again.

“Eh, I’m just kiddin’,” she says as she finally stands and brushes the sand off. “You cats don’t need to worry about paying me. Just repay the favor to someone else sometime in the future.”

You and Leon stand too, only to stumble into one another as your legs give out. It takes you two tries, but you finally stand and shake your legs out as you adjust to not moving at the speed of light. Leon’s cowlicks are finally flattened against his head, though.

She helps you collect your scattered belongings, helps you brush off the sand, and you reach toward a card that’s half-buried. Leon quickly snatches it before you do, and stuffs it in his pocket. You pause, though he’s already turned and picking up other supplies.

“So where are you two headed?” Gramma Tut asks after you’ve safely stowed away your belongings into your bags.

“The Giant’s Seat,” Leon answers. “We’re headed to the Butterfree migration.”

“Ah, that’s where my husband proposed,” Gramma Tut swoons. “My third husband, that is. He’s the best one yet.”

You chuckle at the sentiment.

“You gonna propose?” she asks suddenly as she turns to Leon. “You’ve got quite the catch, here, as I’m sure you know.”

Leon’s cheeks are suddenly dusted with a blush as his eyes flick between you and Gramma Tut.

“Oh, uh, we-we’re just friends,” he stutters out. “Friends traveling together, is all.”

You nod, shift between your two feet, and Gramma Tut squints at you.

“Well, you’re missin’ out then, sweet cheeks,” she says with a shrug. “I’d marry her if I didn’t already have my darling hubby.”

“Thanks,” you chuckle, and she gives you a wink.

“Ah, and what a smile, eh?” Gramma Tut says. She claps you on the shoulder. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it, babe, you’ll find someone who’s worthy of that smile. You’ve got a good heart – I can always tell that sort of thing. Traded my left eye for it.”

For some reason, you believe her.

“Alrighty, I’m out,” she says as she pats her Sharpedo on the head. They both nuzzle into her touch. “Good luck out there, you two, maybe we’ll meet again.”

You wave goodbye, and as she steps into the boat, she turns.

“And Leon,” she says.

He glances up.

“If you run into him, tell Murray I said hello.”

His brow furrows, and he slowly nods.

“Um… I will,” he says quietly.

“And don’t let him around her if you’re not there. You know how he can get.”

Leon nods again.

Gramma Tut gives a thumbs up, gives her Sharpedo another pat, and they bolt off again. Her cackle echoes over the water, and you both watch her fade over the horizon.

“Well,” you say. “That was strange.”

“Yup.”

You both turn and step over the beachgrass.

“How did she know your name?”

“I dunno,” Leon says as he shakes his head. “I’m sure I’d remember meeting someone like her. I don’t know how she knows I know Murray, either.”

“Who’s Murray?”

The lake is calmly lapping at the shore as you walk along it, minus the occasional chaotic ripple from Gramma Tut’s boat and Sharpedo.

“He’s a traveling merchant,” Leon explains as he looks over the water. “He’s a real kooky bloke, always has weird stuff for sale. I always seem to run into him whenever I’m out in the Wild Area. He was the one that sold me that food coloring.”

You nod, and you take out your compass and map, only to furrow your brow.

“Wait a second,” you huff. “This isn’t the East Lake Axewell, we’re in the Rolling Fields!”

Leon’s jaw drops, and he slaps his forehead.

“You’re telling me she took us the wrong way?”

“Not completely,” you say as you squint your eyes at the map. You glance around, then peer at the map again. “But if I’m correct in where we are, then we’re definitely much more south than I was hoping. I guess I wasn’t very specific when I asked her to take us to the ‘other side.’”

“Oh well,” Leon says with a shrug. “Kinda late now, seeing as her and her illegal Sharpedo are already halfway across the lake.”

“I suppose so,” you grumble. “This’ll add a few days to our trip, though.”

“Or this’ll add a few days of training,” Leon says as he bumps your shoulder with his. “A few extra days of Pokémon-catching.”

“I like the way you think, sweet cheeks,” you say with a grin. His jaw drops, and he playfully pushes your shoulder.

“That’s _the_ sweet cheeks to you,” he says as he sticks out his tongue.

You walk along the edge of the grass, right before it slopes into the sand. Your surroundings aren’t as vibrant as they were at the West Lake Axewell, as everything is coated with a slight fog. The lake seems to have a grayish tint, as does the sky, and the fields of wheat beside you are a peaceful beige. The sounds of the lapping waves and the swaying wheat soothe your nerves. It almost makes you feel nostalgic, though you know you’ve never been here before.

You and Leon are content to walk in silence for a while until you’re away from the lake, and Dreepy is content to fade in and out of the fog. You let Growlithe walk beside you, though Leon doesn’t want to risk Charizard’s tail catching any of the long, dry grass on fire.

A place like this seems almost out of time, like it almost exists in a different dimension. You could very much exist within it just as much as you couldn’t exist within it, it could not exist just as easily as it does exist. The rolling fields of wheat could go on until the end of the earth, until the end of time, just as easily as they couldn’t. Everything is coated in a soft blue gray from the fog – the wheat, the sky, you. Even when you look at Leon, you’re not fully sure he’s there, but you’re also not fully sure it matters. The only sounds of the universe are the swaying of the wheat, the rustle of the wind.

You’re not sure how long you’ve been walking – a few hours, maybe, a few minutes, maybe – before Leon breaks the silence. It shocks you back into your head, because for a while you weren’t even sure you were in your head, and again, you weren’t really sure it mattered.

“She was right, you know,” he says quietly.

“Hm?”

“About… about your smile.”

You glance to Leon to see he’s diligently staring ahead, though a light pink stains his cheeks. The color is like the blush of a peony, the faint pink of a Luvdisc underwater.

“You do have a beautiful smile,” he says. “And a good heart.”

A little bit of that peony blush creeps into your cheeks, too.

“Really?” you ask quietly. Leon nods.

“Yeah, I’m sure one day you’ll find someone great who’ll appreciate it.”

And the color gray pushes against you again. It’s a bluish gray now, just like the sky and the earth. It’s surrounding you, swirling in you, forcing out a shallow and somber sigh. You hadn’t risked smiling, so it’s not so much of a juxtaposition when you nod. The beige wheat tickles your wrists, brushes against any exposed skin as you try to swallow back the heat of false hope.

You continue walking again, and after a few steps, Leon gently grabs your wrist. The way he’s looking at you fits well with the environment - it’s pastel, delicate, though you can’t fully read everything about it.

“I, um, I mean it,” he says softly.

You nod, though you gently slide your hand from his.

He glances to your hands, which you set in your pockets, then he looks into your eyes again. It seems the cogs are turning behind his gaze, though you don’t want to fight against that false hope again. You gaze at him, at how the wheat sways around him, how the bluish gray of the sky seems to accent the gold in his eyes. His brow furrows. You wonder how he’s feeling, if he’s nostalgic, in these strange fields that feel so vulnerable, so raw, like the earth after a storm.

His eyelids lower, murky and golden, just as the rolling fields around you.

And you start walking again as the wind whispers through your hair.

A nice smile. A nice smile, just like his little brother. A nice smile just like an innocent little kid would have. You suppose it’s fine, you can try to get over it. Somebody like him, somebody strong, courageous, resourceful, kind, handsome, could very easily find someone else anyway. You’re a little embarrassed to have been hopeful in the first place.

The fog thickens the further you walk, and after a few hours, or after a few minutes, it’s carpeted over the beige fields. You can’t tell if dusk has fallen, or if time has even moved since you stepped off the beach. It’s been long enough for Growlithe to get tired of walking, so you return him to his Poké Ball. Each step is muffled as you and Leon continue through the fields, though the sound seems to pop as it’s the only sound you can hear. You and Leon haven’t spoken in a while, because as if by breaking the silence, you may create a crack in the universe.

You pause.

The rustle of the wheat has stopped. The whisper of the wind has stopped.

The silence is itching under your skin, forcing up the hairs on your neck, drawing the moisture out of your mouth. It’s chilling your hands, but just the ends of your fingers, just the tip of your nose. You take in your surroundings in your periphery, as if even moving your eyes would snap the tension in the air.

Wheat. Boulders. Hills. Fog. That’s all there is.

You risk turning your head an inch to see Leon tense as well, and when you open your mouth to speak, he holds his hand up.

The silence is cut by a high-pitched ringing. It shoots into your ears, slices into your skull. You open your mouth again, Leon lunges towards you, and you both are knocked to the ground when an explosion of fire and smoke erupts behind you. He quickly pulls you beneath a rock outcropping, you crawl behind the boulders there, and make yourselves as small as possible.

Another explosion, then the shriek of a Pokémon cuts your eardrums. Bursts of light flash through the fog, recoil through the whole world as if it were lightning. You get brief glimpses of green, of yellow, of pink, and the ground seems to reverberate when a buzzing starts to grow stronger.

You motion to lift yourself to see better, though Leon quickly pulls you down and his arms curl around your waist as he pulls you against his chest.

“We can’t be seen,” he whispers. It’s laced with none of his voice, only his breath. “I think we walked right into a turf war.”

Another Pokémon screeches, then another, and you get a clearer image when the battle rages closer. Glints of yellow, of green, a flash of pink. You turn your head, your lips are nearly against his skin, and whisper to him in return.

“A Gardevoir,” you whisper. “Some Kirlia too, I think.”

“That first attack must have been Future Sight,” Leon says. His breath on your neck makes you shiver. “But who’s the opponent?”

You peer through the crack of the boulders in front of you. More bits of yellow, that buzzing is familiar. You turn again, and Leon leans down to hear you.

“Vespiquen, I think,” you whisper. Leon nods. “I’m sure there’s Combee, too.”

“We might be here a while,” he says.

“Why don’t you and Charizard join?” you ask. “Or stop the fighting?”

“We don’t know how many there are,” he says. “It’s dangerous to upset the balance of territory by adding a third party, too. If things get out of hand, that’s one thing. Needlessly infringing on nature is another.”

You nod. You watch the battle for a moment, though you stop breathing when Leon’s lips are at your ear. Your nerves are electrified when his breath hits your skin again.

“May as well get comfortable.”

If you didn’t know any better, you’d even say it was a purr that slid from his lips. You hope he doesn’t feel how you shiver again.

You try to resist being affected by his touch, but it’s challenging when his lips are at your ear, when you’re sitting between his legs, when his hands curve around your waist. You’re sure it’s from the danger waging so close to you, but the way Leon holds your hips when he helps you slide closer makes your heart pound.

“Comfortable?” he whispers.

You can almost feel his eyelashes tickling your temple, and the strange pull in your stomach is almost unbearable. It’s creeping heat into you, flaring a burning tension deep in your body. The adrenaline is pumping in you, opening feral instincts, and when he touches you, you try to shove those cravings away, and just manage a nod instead.

“How’s your Bewear wound, by the way?” Leon whispers. He peers over your shoulder, brushes his thumb over your thigh, and you breathe in through your teeth. His fingers are pressing into your skin, his palms are warm, rough, against your thigh. You clench your teeth together as if the motion will push down the heat flaring in you at the touch. His hand is inching dangerously high on your leg, not that he realizes.

So much for getting over your stupid crush.

You swat his hand when it inches higher, and he quickly pulls back and almost yelps an apology. You can feel him tense behind you, and you’re sure his face is flaring red. No soft peonies here, just full throttle beet.

You shake the thought from your head in favor of watching the battle unfold in front of you. The buzz of his touch is constant, though, just as the buzz of the Vespiquen and Combee in the fields.

You can identify a few of the attacks the Pokémon are throwing out, and it doesn’t take long before you recognize that the Gardevoir and Vespiquen must be the two leaders of their tribes – and they’re astronomically strong. They dip and curve around each other, jump, fly, fall, as if they are dancing to the chaotic rumble of the earth, stepping in time with the explosive attacks that are jarring around them.

As the turf war rages, you try to identify the tactics used within each team. You watch how Gardevoir seems anxious to hurl attacks, yet how Vespiquen is more conscious of defense. Leon gently squeezes your hand, and you lean back to hear him.

“Wanna do some training?”

You turn enough to look at him.

“Are you mad? Growlithe will get killed if he goes out there.”

“I mean in here with me,” he says. He nods towards the raging battle. “I’ll ask you some questions, you see how quickly you can answer them.”

“Like trainer school?” you ask as you raise an eyebrow.

“I guess,” Leon says with a shrug. “May as well take advantage of it, I’m not sure how long we’ll have to hide in here.”

“Wow,” you mutter as you scratch your chin. “Trainer school with _the_ sweet cheeks?”

Leon snorts and shakes his head. You bite back your grin, and you’re sure he’s rolling his eyes. Leon adjusts a bit behind you, then gestures to the battlefield.

“What attack did the Vespiquen just use?” Leon asks.

You squint your eyes. The Gardevoir falters, and its movements are slowed. It’s not holding any particular wound, so it must be a status condition.

“Toxic?”

“Right,” Leon says, and you can feel his grin against your ear. “What can Gardevoir do to defend itself from further poisoning for itself or its team?”

You chew on your lip. Many Psychic and Fairy-types have healing abilities…

“It could use Healing Wish,” you answer.

“Healing Wish will faint it, but I suppose that would prevent further poisoning,” Leon says with a hum. You grin when you feel him breathe out a laugh. “Okay, what else could it do?”

“Um,” you say as you rack your brain. “Life Dew, maybe?”

“That will heal ally HP, so close,” Leon says. He lightly gestures to the Gardevoir and the Kirlia surrounding it. “A strong Psychic-type like Gardevoir may know Misty Terrain.”

“And changing the terrain can prevent further status conditions,” you finish. Leon squeezes you closer.

“Right,” he says. “You got it,”

You grin again, and nestle against him. Maybe you aren’t as ignorant a trainer as you thought you were.

“Okay, next question,” Leon whispers. “Statistically, who is more likely to win?”

“Vespiquen has the advantage in type-matchups,” you start. “But Gardevoir seems more in-sync with the Kirlia.”

“Right,” Leon says again. “So, it’s not all about type-matchups. The bond within a team is vital. There are plenty of tools and tricks that teamwork can do that raw power can’t. That seems to be what’s happening here, too.”

Leon gestures to the battlefield, where there are fewer Combee swirling around Vespiquen than there were minutes ago. More shocks of light erupt from the Gardevoir, more gusts of wind from the Vespiquen. The Vespiquen is staggering in its flutter towards the Gardevoir, though the Gardevoir falters in its steps.

“It’ll be close, though,” you whisper to Leon, and he nods. “But my bet is on the Vespiqeun,”

“Oh yeah?” he whispers. Even though you can’t see it, you can imagine the cheeky smirk that’s snuck onto his face. “Why’s that?”

You squint your eyes, form your rebuttal, and freeze.

Among the flashing pink and the buzzing yellow, amidst the cries and the screeches from either side, you see a bit of gray lying in the grass. None of the Kirlia are tending to it, and neither are any of the Combee as the battle rages around it.

“There’s a Pokémon,” you breathe.

“What?” Leon says. “There’s a dozen Pokémon out there.”

“No,” you say as you try to squirm away. “No, there’s a little Pokémon in the middle of them, I think it’s hurt but it’s not getting help from either side.”

You stare at the bit of gray lying in the grass. You inch forward, Leon incredulously hisses your name, then does it again as he grips your wrist.

“You’re not thinking of going out there,” he says. It’s not so much of a question as it is a demand to do the exact opposite of what you’re planning to do.

“I have to help it,” you whisper as you pry Leon’s fingers from your wrist.

That Pokémon is you. You were that Pokémon. Lost and alone and hurt while chaos stormed around you.

Leon hisses your name again, but you’re already away from his reach.

Your singular focus is that bit of gray lying in the middle of the battlefield. You crawl out of your hiding spot, and immediately the chaos is swarming around you, reverberating in your ears, slicing into your skin, shooting through your hair. You duck in time to dodge another Future Sight by rolling to the ground.

Through the wheat above you, you can see the battle raging. It flickers here and there as the wheat sways, though none of the Pokémon seem focused on you. You crawl as quickly and as quietly as you can to the little patch of gray.

“You okay?” you whisper.

You brush the Minccino’s face, wipe the blood from its cheek. It opens its eyes, but just barely, and doesn’t bother to flinch away. You scoop it up in your arms and it lets out a soft cry.

“I’ll get you somewhere safe, okay?”

It doesn’t make another sound as you start to crawl back. Something slams into the side of your head, and you tumble to the ground. Stars flash behind your eyelids, and a maniacal buzzing fills your ears. Through the haze of an incoming headache, you see the Vespiquen hovering over you, the two stingers on its hands dripping with a purple sludge.

Toxic.

You scramble back as quickly as you can, trying to protect the Minccino, but before you can turn its stingers dig into you. Hot pain sears, and it’s like the skin on your stomach is fizzing away. You cry out in shock, though there’s just enough adrenaline pumping to kick its hand away from you.

It reaches for you again, only to screech when the Gardevoir launches itself against the Vespiquen. You’re scrambling backwards, only holding the Minccino with one arm, then something starts pulling you back by your other.

“Damnit,” Leon hisses as he tugs you backwards. You crawl back behind the rocks once you get your footing. “I told you not to go out there!”

He’s rifling through his bag, you pull a potion from yours, and quickly spritz it on the Minccino. Its eyes clear and it shakes out its fur. It pauses, stares you in the eye, then darts out into the wheat.

“Wait!” you say as you reach out for it. Leon grabs your hand and tugs you back.

“You’re not going out there again!” he snaps. “Where did the Vespiquen get you?”

“The Minccino,” you say as your eyes frantically scan the wheat. The battle is still raging, though each Pokémon is pausing longer and longer between attacks. “That Minccino’s going to get hurt again.”

“And you’re hurt now!” Leon says. He roughly turns your chin so you meet his eye. “Where did it hit you?”

Your vision starts to spin as you look down to your shirt. It’s not so much torn as it is punctured, and you lift the cloth to see the skin on your stomach already turning purple. Leon swears again and runs his fingers through his hair.

“Heal Powder,” you say. “In my bag.”

You lean against one of the rocks beside you as the wooziness from seeing your injury magnifies. Leon quickly digs through your bag, removes the canister of powder, and sprinkles it over your skin. It immediately starts to bubble. You inhale sharply through your teeth at the strange sensation, and Leon instinctively grabs your hand. After a minute it starts to fizzle away, just as the Pokémon cries around you start to fizzle away. You try to sit up, only to have Leon gently push you back down by your shoulders.

“I think it’s over,” he says as he peers around the battlefield. “They’ve all retreated, though some of the Combee are licking their wounds.”

“Who won?”

“Vespiquen.”

You motion to enthuse about your correct prediction, only to have Leon cut you off.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” he barks as he meets your eye again. “You could have killed yourself!”

“But I didn’t,” you say.

Leon’s brow furrows, his jaw tenses, then he exhales deeply. He lifts his hand to your face to gently cup your jaw.

“Don’t,” he says quietly. “Don’t scare me like that, okay? I know you wanted to help but you could have gotten seriously hurt.”

You involuntarily lean into his touch as he opens his mouth, only to close it again as he brushes your cheek with his thumb. Your eyes flutter at the feeling.

“That Minccino reminded me of me,” you breathe as the strange tingling from the Veispiquen’s attack starts to ebb. “Scared, alone, dying. I had to help it, just like somebody helped me.”

You open your eyes just enough to see Leon lightly shaking his head.

“You know just what to say to get yourself out of trouble, huh?” he says as he breathes out a laugh. “Just don’t do it again, please. For my sake. Your health is more valuable than a wild Pokémon’s.”

You nod, and Leon gently tucks your hair behind your ear.

His eyes soften when he looks down at you, and again, you wonder what he’s thinking when he looks at you like that. He shakes his head into focus.

“Let’s say here for a few minutes, let the Heal Powder kick in,” Leon says. “There’s a bigger outcropping down that way, we may as well set up camp. No number of back rubs will get you to change my mind.”

You motion to argue that you can travel for the rest of the day, but you close your mouth the second Leon shoots you a stern glare. After a few grimaces, you’ve crawled out into the open space, and with Leon’s help, you can stand well enough. It’s slow-going, but you’re grateful that you can still walk. It may not be any more comfortable being carried. A few Combee and Kirlia skit away, and the wheat rustles as they retreat.

The outcropping looks like any hill would, but just if the bottom left corner of it got blown out. Perhaps that’s what happened, as it creates a natural, sloped, and grassy overhang over a barren patch of land. It’ll be just enough space for your cot, a little fire, and enough room for Charizard to stay out without his tail setting the entire Rolling Fields ablaze.

The fog is starting to clear, and you glance up to see that dusk truly is falling. You wonder if it was the Gardevoir and Kirlia’s doing that made the fog, or if they were the ones that made the fog feel so strange. Maybe that’s why Leon’s eyes seemed so dark, murky, maybe even hungry, back before the attack.

Leon sets up his cot, and insists you rest while he cooks dinner. You gaze over the fields of wheat while he works, and you let Growlithe out of his Poké Ball to sit beside you so you can stroke your fingers through his fur. The dusk is peaceful. It’s not so somber or so strange as the fog was, and the wheat sways jauntily as a light wind breezes through. You vaguely wonder how Watt is doing with his green teeth. Leon starts chatting with you, and after a few minutes, you hear a rustle beside you. Growlithe lifts his head and lets out a single bark as a patch of gray scurries to the edge of the wheat.

“I think we have a visitor,” Leon says.

You glance up to see a Minccino delicately stepping towards you. It has a berry in its paws, it glances to you, sets the berry on the end of the cot, then scurries back into the wheat. After shooing Growlithe away when he immediately tries to eat the berry, you turn it over in your fingers, and breathe out a laugh.

“A Pecha berry,” you say. “Looks like it wanted to help me out, too.”

Leon tuts and shakes his head.

“Don’t think of that as a reward,” he says as he raises an eyebrow. “Not sure how I feel about you being encouraged to do something like that again.”

You wave him off and pop the Pecha berry in your mouth.

“Tastes like Pokémon friendship to me,” you say with a smile. Leon rolls his eyes as he hands you a bowl of curry.

You eat and you chat and you continue to learn about each other as the night goes on. You’ve settled yourself beside Leon on the ground since you were too far from the fire, and he wordlessly offers you his hoodie. You tried to protest, he wouldn’t listen, though you don’t mind much. You kind of like how it smells. He tells you about his friends (though he doesn’t talk about Sonia much this time, or any other female friends), you tell him about yours, and he seems to prick with passion.

“I’m glad you have friends to support you,” Leon says as that intensity blazes in his eyes. “You’re a real hard worker, and I’m proud of you for making it out here so far.”

Your brow furrows, and you breathe out a laugh.

“I mean it,” he says. “I was terrified when you got hit by that Vespiquen, but you’re also courageous and caring enough to do something stupid like that. I know you’ve been struggling lately but I want you to know that you can do it, and that rubbish trainer at the trading station didn’t know what he was talking about anyway.”

“Leon,” you say quietly. “What are you…?”

“I want you to be encouraged,” he says as he holds your hands in his. “I hope you keep being a trainer, and keep working hard, and I want you to grow strong enough to face me one day.”

You take a moment to process.

“…Face you?” you repeat. “Like in a Pokémon battle? We’ve already battled a couple times.”

He seems to process too, then his eyes widen, and he quickly drops your hands.

“Th-that’s what I meant,” he says. “Face me one day, like tomorrow, f-for another battle, just like we have been.”

“I guess so,” you say as you search his eyes.

“You want more curry?” he says. “I used that berry mix like you taught me, it’s good, isn’t it?”

Your mind reverts to the curry. It is pretty good, actually, and Leon seems eager to prove to you that he can cook well. Your conversation shifts to berries and seasonings and spice mixes as the night pulls deeper on the horizon.

The fog has fully evaporated, and you get a clear view of the vast, starry night sky. It seems to curve until forever, like this night is the only night that has ever happened, and will ever happen. You smile to yourself as the crackle of the fire harmonizes with the soft buzzing and night chirps of the Bug Pokémon in the fields around you. Your dinner is finished, your dishes are cleaned, and Charizard, Growlithe and Dreepy are already snoozing together in a pile beside you. Leon’s rustling a bit too much for your taste, so you motion to tell him to quiet down, though you close your mouth when he settles himself behind you.

He pulls your hair from your neck, gently runs his fingers down your back. His delicate touch makes you flinch, and you let out an embarrassing squeak.

“Wh-what are you doing?” you ask as you turn to him.

His eyebrows are raised, though he’s not moving backwards, nor stuttering incoherently.

“I figured now was a good time for one of the 400 back rubs I owe you.”

You breathe out a laugh, and the tension in you fades.

“Oh, great idea. Good work on taking the initiative.”

Leon laughs, and you smile too. That sound fits better with the beautiful night around you.

He reaches towards you again, pauses, then slowly pushes into your shoulders. His touch is borderline reverent, smooth and slow, and your eyebrows furrow as he works at the base of your neck. He trails down again. All of his fingers. You feel them all dragging down slowly, until they curve around your hips, until his thumbs press into the sensitive spots low on your back. You squeeze your eyes closed, though it doesn’t stop the soft moan from slipping out of your throat.

Leon pauses.

Your skin tingles, and the hair on your neck is standing on end when Leon’s fingers splay a little more over your skin. You try not to fidget, try to push away the craving, and mentally smack yourself for making such an embarrassing sound.

“Bit tender there?” he whispers. Again, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say honey dripped from those words.

“Um, yeah,” you mutter as the heat flares in your cheeks.

“I’ll be gentle.”

Well why’d he have to say it like _that?_ Getting over your stupid crush was not going very smoothly, especially with how he seems to be paying an extra bit of attention to the spot where your sweater lifts, or how his fingers slide under the hem; not enough to make you swat him away, but just enough to make you squirm.

The night bites at your skin the second he tugs your sweater higher, and you lurch forward.

“Okay, that’s good for now,” you say as you force a smile out. “Thanks Leon, I feel better. Real great.”

“Are you sure?” he asks as his brow furrows. “I was working my way up, I didn’t get any of your shoulders.”

“Yep,” you squeak. “How about you finish tomorrow morning, I’m super tired anyway.”

You’re not quite sure how you could fall asleep any time soon, though, what with how your skin practically burns wherever he touched. He crawls towards you, and you try to discreetly crawl back.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asks. You’re backed against the wall and the blush is flaring in your face when he leans over you. He pulls your sweater and shirt up and brushes his thumb beside the Vespiquen puncture. “Is the Toxic making you feel strange? Didn’t that Heal Powder help?”

His fingers drag up your sides and you shiver at the delicate touch.

“L-Leon,” you stutter as you try to push his hand down. It came out as more of a whisper than you hoped. At least you didn’t moan again.

His eyes are lidded, murky, and you tear your gaze away. His hand is still resting around your bare waist, and your heart pounds when his fingers press harder into your skin. Suddenly he snaps into focus and bolts backwards.

“Oh, Arceus, sorry!” he splutters. After scooting back another few feet, he slaps his forehead and rubs over his face. “Agh, Arceus, I’m so sorry, that was so uncalled for. I-I just wanted to see how well the Heal Powder was working, I didn’t mean to, to, uh, t-to almost take your shirt off… again.”

Just as you have every day thus far, you reaffirm that Leon is a little strange. He doesn’t seem so cautious when it comes to touching you anymore, and you didn’t realize how dangerous that was until now. You wonder if he too felt that feral craving that you did earlier.

“I’m fine,” you say as you pull your shirt and sweater back down. “It’s a little sore, but it doesn’t go very deep.”

“Well, if you’re sure,” he says. You glance to the side to see Charizard raising an eyebrow at you. “It’s probably good if we both get some sleep. We’ve had quite the eventful day, after all.”

You douse the fire, unfurl your sleeping bag, and wait for Leon’s nightly request. It doesn’t take long.

“Do you, um,” he starts. You glance at him. He’s confident enough to pull your shirt up, but not so confident that he can outright ask to sleep next to you? “Do you want time to yourself again tonight, too?”

Should you? Having his arms and legs curled around you, having his hands and his fingers pressing against you, having his lips so close to your skin… it doesn’t seem like the wisest way to get over your little crush on Leon.

…But, then again, the night is cloaked over you, the strange nostalgia of the fog still lingers in your soul, and your desire for his warmth swirls right beneath your skin.

No. No, you can’t, not when he doesn’t see you like that. Not when the dark night sky is blanketed over you, not when it pulls out those desires from deep in your stomach. You can’t be tempted by his curious hands and his murky eyes and his honeyed whispers.

“Yeah, I think so,” you mutter out, and you ignore how Leon’s shoulders droop for half a second.

“Okay, yeah, of course,” he says as he nods quickly. “You have to take the cot, though.”

“What? Leon,” you huff. “Come on, you can use your cot, I’ll sleep on the ground.”

“What if I _want_ you to use it?” he says. “I’m not the one who got attacked by the victor of a turf war.”

You squint your eyes when he pouts.

“Quit looking at me like that,” you grumble. “All puppy-eyed and pouty lipped.”

He doesn’t quit looking at you like that, until you give in with another grumble.

“ _Fine_ ,” you huff, and Leon grins.

“What can I say,” he says with a smirk. “It’s my most effective persuasion tactic.”

You roll your eyes and you and Leon start to settle in for the night. He borrows your sleeping bag, you borrow his cot and blanket, and as you kick your shoes off, a thought pricks. You had bought some Pokémon food at the trading station, so you scoop a little bit extra into a bowl and set it out near where your little clearing stops and where the wheat begins. You lay in the cot and tuck the blanket around you snuggly.

“Who’s the food for?” Leon asks as he settles into your sleeping bag. “Your midnight snack?”

You chuckle and shake your head.

“I want to see if that Minccino comes back.”

Leon nods, and rests his hands behind his head. He starts telling you a story about a Minccino he and Hop found when they went out exploring one day a few years ago. You’re content to listen to him and let his soothing voice and the soothing rustle of the wheat swirl in your ears. Growlithe jumps up to join you on the cot and snuggles against your stomach.

Leon is laying just where the shadow of the grassy overhang stops, so the moonlight is glowing over his skin, over his eyes, his smile, as he talks to you. He almost looks like a painting, with cool, soothing colors, or he almost sounds like a song, with a melodic harmony, an idyllic hymn. You rest your chin on your fist and try to bite back the mournful sigh that almost escapes.

Your eyes trail the arc of his lips, the angle of his jaw. The way his bicep curves as he rests his head on his forearm, or the way his fingers move when he gestures with his other hand. How his chest rises and falls with each breath, how his shirt lies loosely over the ridges on his stomach, or how a bit of his hip bone peeks through every once in a while, when he adjusts how he’s positioned. It’s all melodic, beautiful, and you shove away the aching longing again because of it.

Whoever he finds will be lucky. They’ll be lucky to have someone so beautiful, inside and out. Someone so fun, playful, yet so powerful and intense. Someone so kind and encouraging, someone so resourceful and capable. You’re lucky he found you lying in the mud that night, even if it means you can only spend this little bit of time with him. These will be the days that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Perhaps you can even regale your adventures with _the_ Leon to your future children, or grandchildren, tell them the stories that you’ve been living out these past few weeks.

Something gnaws at your bones when your imaginary grandchildren ask where Leon is now, or why you never married him. ‘Weren’t you in love?’ they’d ask. ‘Didn’t you adventure together?’ ‘That’s how love stories work, right? The handsome man and the beautiful woman run through the wilderness, face peril, fight inner demons?’ And that’s where you, in your aged rocking chair, will gesture with your wrinkled hands and say ‘not all stories end like that, loves.’ That’s when you’ll sigh a mournful sigh, just as you are now, and say ‘reality doesn’t always work like that, sometimes they only see you as a friend, and you should learn to be happy with that.’ Then your imaginary grandchildren will sigh, and say, ‘but didn’t he think you were beautiful, grandma? Wasn’t he in love with you, too?’

You shake your head, as if to answer their questions, just as much to shake out their imaginary eyes and hopeful smiles. You jolt into focus when Leon whispers your name.

“Huh? Sorry, what?” you say.

“I said are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Leon repeats. “You’re… you’re looking at me kind of funny.”

Your eyes widen, and you mentally scold your imaginary grandchildren for making you all doe-eyed.

“Oh, uh, sorry, yeah I’m fine,” you stutter. “I… I didn’t realize I was staring.”

Leon smiles, and breathes out a laugh.

“I don’t mind, nor do I blame you,” he says as he tosses his hair behind him. You roll your eyes. “Just made me a little nervous, is all.”

“Sorry,” you say again. Whoops. You’ll have to be more aware of not blatantly staring at him and his face and his body.

“B-but not in a bad way, though,” Leon continues quickly. “I’m used to people staring at me but it’s different when it’s you.”

Your brow furrows deeper, and Leon sheepishly glances away.

“You’re, um, you’re really beautiful, is all,” Leon says quietly. “I’m not used to… to getting nervous when people look at me like that.”

Your eyebrows shoot up on your head, and your mind catches and repeats for a few seconds like a scratched record.

What?

Beautiful?

He thinks you’re beautiful?

Beautiful like a… sibling? No wait, that’s weird.

But then… what does that mean?

Your imaginary grandchildren are squealing and running around your rocking chair.

Leon says your name again, and you jolt into focus.

“You’re doing it again,” he says as he bites his lip. That peony blush is inching onto his face, highlighted by the glow of the moon. He definitely looks like a painting now, as he gazes at you in the moonlight as he’s lying on his side and biting his lip. All he needs is a rose in his mouth and a single blanket artfully draped over him to complete the picture. Your own cheeks are starting to warm, so you quickly pull Growlithe up over your nose.

“Ah, sorry,” you mutter through Growlithe’s fur.

“I don’t mind though,” he says with a chuckle. “You’re even more beautiful when you blush.”

Why’s he saying this? Why’s he saying these things? Why is he determined to make your heart pound so hard in your chest? If it’s a game, then it’s cruel, and you don’t want to play. You’re not quite sure Leon has a cruel bone in his body, though, to be honest.

“Yeah, just like that,” Leon says with a nod, and you bury your flaring face in Growlithe’s fur. Growlithe squirms a bit in protest, but you don’t want to prove Leon right, so you turn over in the cot with a huff.

“Um thank you Leon okay goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he says with another chuckle.

Well, you were certainly friends before this, but as your heart pounds, as you feel Leon’s eyes trailing over your curves, you’re really not sure what the hell you are anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

The Bewears.

They’re everywhere.

They’re flying and buzzing around your head, slicing open your skin with their poisoned stingers. The Minccinos are darting around your feet, thousands of them, scuttling over your shoes with their steeled tails, cutting into your ankles.

Their low moans shake the earth, shake the wheat, and you don’t bother to cry because it’s even worse when they laugh at you. Growlithe has joined them, and his barking laughter cuts into your heart as his eyes slowly disappear from his face.

Dreepys slither into your skin, swirl around your insides, and induce your nausea even further. You don’t bother grimacing because that’ll just make the trainers on the sidelines laugh at you too. They don’t have eyes either, and their grins pull an inch too far on their faces.

 _Look how pitiful she is,_ one spits.

 _Pathetic. She’s no trainer. The only thing she’s good at is sitting on the bench,_ Leon agrees. _A loser. Ugly, hopeless, useless._

You try to retort, try to call back, but you don’t want your teeth to fall out again. You start running. You start running and running and running and running, but the wheat never stops, the fog never stops, the night never stops, until you’re in the forest as the storm cracks around you, as the rain stabs at your face. The Chinchou lights are flickering behind your eyelids, burning the back of your eyes every time you blink, every time the lightning strikes.

You can’t get away. You can’t get away from the truth in those words as they repeat with each haphazard step.

_Ugly_

_Hopeless_

_Not good enough_

_Not good enough_

_Never good enough_

Through the repeating words, your name is being sneered at you, scoffed at you, whispered to you.

It’s getting more urgent, and the storm is shaking your shoulders.

_Wake up_

The lightning strikes again, the Bewears moan again, your name is called again.

_Wake up, please_

The rain stops when something brushes your cheek, and you’re pulled from your dream when your name is whispered again.

“Please, wake up,” Leon whispers, and your eyes snap open.

You sit upright and heave in breath after breath as you come to your senses. You look at your hands, your legs, your arms, and you reach to your mouth. You still have all your teeth, and you don’t have any slices in your ankles or around your skin.

“Hey, you’re okay,” Leon says softly. He pushes your hair from your face to tuck it behind your ear. His gaze is much more gentle, much less haunting, than when he spit at you in your dream. “It was just a dream, you’re safe.”

“Where…” you start. Leon pulls you against him, and you slowly wrap your arms around him in return. He’s rubbing your back, soft and slow, and he gives you a squeeze.

“You okay?” he asks as he pulls back just enough to see your face. His eyes are scanning yours, and your breathing softens again when he brushes his thumb over your cheek. You didn’t realize you were crying until he brushes the tears away.

“I, yeah,” you say softly as your eyebrows furrow. “That was… that was a terrible dream.”

Leon nods, searches your eyes, and cups your face in his hands again. His touch seems to ground you, seems to pull you out of your head and into the present.

“You were thrashing around like mad,” he says. “You kept talking, but you weren’t saying any real words. This is the worst I’ve seen it, even when you had your fever.”

You glance down to your trembling fingers, and Leon gently closes your hands in his. He brushes his thumbs over yours, and the motion seems to slow your staggered breathing. You inch closer to him, and he lets you lean against his chest as he adjusts himself on the cot beside you.

You heave in a deep, refreshing breath, and squeeze his hands as thanks.

“I think it was that rubbish fog again,” Leon says as he glances around. “I had some strange dreams too, but you’re prone to nightmares anyway, so it was really just a recipe for disaster.”

You let your eyes close as your breathing continues to slow. The scent of the morning dew and Leon’s sweater swirl in your lungs, and you unintentionally let out a hum.

“If you’re feeling better, we might want to get moving again today,” Leon says as he pulls your hair from your neck. “I don’t like the idea of those Gardevoir and Kirlia messing with my head like they have been.”

You nod. You didn’t particularly enjoy feeling so strange in that fog either – perhaps it was the Misty Terrain before the turf war started? Even if your strange nostalgia and somberness were manufactured by Pokémon, you can’t get the image of Leon’s murky and hungry eyes out of your head. That looked real, just as much as his hands on you felt real, just as real as his hands feel now. Perhaps you can give Growlithe a pat, he always seems keen to distract you from Leon. You glance around, only for your brow to furrow.

“Where’s Growlithe?” you ask. Leon gently curls one arm around your waist and gestures to the wheat with the other.

“Don’t worry, he’s right over there,” Leon says. “He’s found a friend.”

The wheat is rustling, and you see a dart of orange, a dart of gray, then Growlithe and a Minccino come tearing through your little camp. Charizard grumpily snaps his teeth at them when they come barreling by, and again when Growlithe trips into the soot of your old campfire. The Minccino jumps on top of him and playfully nips his ear.

“Looks like she wins again,” Leon says with a chuckle. “They’ve been at this for a while.”

The memories of your strange dream start to fade as you watch Growlithe and the Minccino darting back and forth through the wheat. Leon seems content to let you rest against him, and he’s mindlessly toying with the ends of your hair as you lean against his chest. As soon as you thought you were distracted enough, a memory shoots into you again.

_Ugly_

_Hopeless_

_Not good enough_

Your breath catches as the words echo through your head.

“What is it?” Leon asks, as he must have felt you tense. “Is this okay? I can sit somewhere else if you need space?”

You pause, process, then shake your head into focus again. The words fade like smoke, gone just as quickly as they came.

“No,” you say quietly. “It’s not you, it’s just… some parts of that dream really hit home.”

“Want to talk about it?”

You bite your lip.

…Do you? His sneer was one of the worst ones when you had that dream, as it just built upon each and every confused thought you’ve been having regarding your and Leon’s relationship. Although most of that dream was clearly just a dream, part of you can’t define the line of what was fact or fiction in the words he spoke.

But, then again, as his arms curl comfortably around you, you realize that he’s also the only friend you have right now, so you let out a sigh as you again give in to your desire for companionship. You nod.

“And perhaps I can finish your back rub?” Leon says with a childish grin. “It’ll be nice and soothing.”

You bite back a grin and try to force down those little Butterfree that swirl in your stomach at that silly smile.

“Just try not to take my clothes off this time.”

Leon coughs and nods, and you roll your eyes when a blush dusts his cheeks. You peel off his hoodie that you slept in, toss it to the end of the cot, and turn away from him.

The hair on your neck is standing on end as his hands hover an inch away from you. Perhaps you can force that anticipation away if you just think about it like he’s a friend. You’ve given and received back rubs from your friends before, just think about it like that. You realize your friends didn’t quite make you so hot and bothered, though, especially when Leon presses his knuckles between your ribs and all you can think about is his hands on you.

Leon’s touch is sweet and soothing, just like he promised, though you try to focus instead on retelling your strange dream. That leads into pondering aloud your insecurities with battling, with catching Pokémon, and Leon hums every so often to let you know he’s listening. When you mention how you hate dreams where your teeth fall out, Leon says he loves those dreams, and you turn with a sneer to see that impish grin again.

“You’d look great even without your teeth,” Leon says with a decisive nod.

“Euh, gross Leon,” you scoff as you push at his shoulder. “I don’t really want to think about that to be honest.”

“Do it I dare you.”

“How old are you?” you laugh when he pushes your shoulder in return. You swat at him, he swats you in return, then pokes your cheek, plugs your nose, flips your hair. You can't stop the laugh from bubbling out. “What’re you doing?”

“Nothin’,” he retorts as he pokes at you again. You twitch when your nerves spark at your ribs, and Leon grins devilishly. Uh oh. He reaches for your ribs again, and you let out a laugh to confirm that you are indeed incredibly ticklish there.

“Leon, cut it out!” you laugh as he grabs at you again. “I’m going to call those Rapidash security guards!”

He motions to retort, only for both of you to let out a squeak when the cot tips. Dust poofs up around you when you hit the ground, and you let out a half-laugh, half-grunt when Leon lands on top of you.

He pops his head up.

“I hope we didn’t break it.”

Growlithe and Minccino come bolting over at the commotion, and there’s suddenly a Minccino tail and a Growlithe tongue in your face, and also lots of Leon’s hair. You spit most of it out as you try to get the Pokémon slobber out of your face, though Growlithe’s spit acts as an adhesive, so now much of Leon’s hair is plastered to your skin like wet glue. It isn’t until Growlithe steps right onto your stomach that you grunt again when a dull pain throbs at the Vespiquen puncture wound.

Leon quickly shoves Growlithe away and pushes himself up and off of you.

“You okay?” he asks. “Might’ve gotten a little carried away there, sorry.”

“You think?” you say as you breathe out a laugh. Leon smiles when you do, though he doesn’t sit up right away. He’s still leaning over you, and he pulls his hair back so it’s not stuck to your skin.

“I just… I thought you’d feel better if you laughed,” he says quietly. “Didn’t intend for Growlithe to step right on your injury.”

Why is he so sweet? How is he so sweet? Why’s he still leaning over you, with his face so close to yours? This certainly didn’t happen whenever you talked about your strange dreams to your other friends. When you don’t respond for a moment, his eyes seem to widen.

“Th-that’s what I do with my brother too,” he adds quickly. “If he’s getting pouty that usually makes him laugh.”

Ah, there it is again. Perhaps you should never let that flicker of hope ignite, seeing as every time it’s squashed, doused, then thrown into a lake. You tear your gaze away and try to make your sigh discreet. It doesn’t work very well.

“That’s nice,” you say. Your voice has the hint of cold steel in it. “Can you move so I can sit up?”

Leon nods chaotically as he slides away from you. You watch Growlithe and Minccino run around a bit longer, and you’re grateful for the noise they make because the tension in the air has thickened.

“Sorry,” Leon says quietly. “I… I hope that didn’t cross the line.”

You shrug and hug your knees to your chest.

“I’ll, um,” Leon says as he searches your face. “I’ll make breakfast, if you’d like.”

You nod.

“I’m going to take a walk,” you say as you stand and dust yourself off. “I won’t be long.”

“Okay, be safe,” Leon says. You wish you couldn’t feel how he’s watching you slip your shoes on, or how you reach for his hoodie, only to set it on the cot when you set it upright. The morning is brisk, but you’d rather endure the slight chill instead of having his scent wrapped around you. You wish you could peel his gaze off of you as easily as a bandaid. You wish you could rip it off, though really it just pulls at your arm hair and hurts even more as you step through the wheat and away from the camp.

Through the tension in the air, through the rustle of the wheat, Leon’s mournful sentence carries.

“What am I doing wrong, Charizard?” you hear him ask quietly. “Was that weird? Was that too far? She was smiling up until the end…”

Charizard grumbles something, and Leon sighs again.

“Raihan would have a field day if he heard about how rubbish I am with women…”

You fully rip off that metaphorical bandaid, though it still makes the tears prick in your eyes because now you’ve gone and made Leon upset.

_Ugly_

_Hopeless_

_Not good enough_

The wheat beside you acts as a soft respite when you trail your hands through it, and the soft rustle fills your ears instead of Leon’s muffled conversation with Charizard. It helps that Growlithe makes so much noise as he trots in front of you, pushing his nose through the wheat. You weave the wheat between your fingers, pull some of the feathery tips off, and let them flutter in the wind. You wish you could be as free as those little speckles of gold, fluttering through the breeze. But, you’re grounded. Grounded on this earth and with your struggles and confusion and frustration and that sharp prick in your leg.

Ouch, wait, now it’s crawling up the back of your thigh.

You try to shake it off, but it’s crawling up your hip, your back, until it settles on your shoulder. Fur brushes your ear and you let out a screech, and you hurl a Minccino into the wheat.

“Oh, sorry!” you call as you rush over to it. It shakes its fur, brushes off its tail, and looks back up at you. You breathe out a laugh and hold your hand out for it. “Sorry little Minccino, you can come up. I thought you were going to attack me or crawl in my ear or something.”

The Minccino looks at your outstretched hand, then quickly climbs up your arm to sit on your shoulder. Your frustrations fizzle away when it bumps its head against you.

“Are you the same one from our camp?” you ask. Growlithe yips as if in agreement, and you nod. “Ah, I see. What do you want, snacks? Leon said you’re a girl Minccino, is that true?”

The Minccino purrs and bumps her head against your temple.

“I’ll take that as a yes, huh?” you chuckle as you pat her head. “It’s nice to interact with another girl, boys can be pretty dumb.”

The Minccino squeaks, and you chuckle. You’d like to think that was a squeak of unyielding agreement.

“Do you have a family around here, little Minccino? You’re not lost, are you?”

She sits on your shoulder and swats at the butterfly fluttering around her. You’re not sure what that means. Perhaps more unyielding agreement?

You walk for a little while, chatting about nothing with Minccino and Growlithe as you make your way through the wheat. Her purrs and little squeaks make your heart melt, and after a few minutes of walking through the crisp morning air, your head clears of frustration. Your feelings aren’t invalid, you decide, but perhaps you and Leon should have a conversation on why he shouldn’t continuously compare you to his little brother. Even with your little crush out of the picture, comparing you to a child doesn’t really help heal the insecurities you have about your lack of skill with Pokémon.

You do some refreshing stretches, take a minute to give Growlithe an overdue morning belly rub, offer Minccino one as well when she lays on her back next to Growlithe, then follow the dented wheat back to your camp.

Along with the crisp morning air, you’re now smelling coffee and the sweet scent of porridge. And… burnt toast…?

“Hi,” Leon says as you approach. His hair is pulled into a ponytail, and he’s looking oddly disheveled. “I, um, I tried to make some toast with the bread we had but I burnt it.”

You glance to the blackened toast beside Charizard, who’s eating what looks to be his third slice. You wonder if Leon used _all_ of your bread, just to offer the burnt remains to Charizard. Dreepy’s favorite food is bread crust, but even he’s not eating the scorched slices as he sits atop Charizard’s head.

“I tried to toast it well, but since we only have a pot it didn’t go according to plan,” he explains. “I have jam, though, if you want, I made it from some berries before the Watt trading station. I… it’s your favorite, but I don’t have any non-burnt toast for you to eat it with.”

Your brow furrows as Leon sheepishly scans your eyes.

“My favorite?” you repeat. Leon nods.

“When we were back at that cave, you told me your favorite berry,” he explains. “I finally found some outside the Watt trading center. That’s actually, um… that’s actually why I asked you to go ahead first, if you remember that. I… I wanted to pick some to surprise you.”

You open your mouth to respond, only to close it again when you find you have nothing to say. Leon waits for you, but when you don’t speak, he quickly fills the silence.

“And I’m sorry for earlier,” he says with a slight bow. “I didn’t mean to upset you, and I hope you can still be comfortable around me. That crossed the line and I won’t touch you or make you feel weird ever again. I hope this berry jam and burnt toast can act as a peace offering.”

You laugh at that, and Leon glances to your eyes with a small smile.

“It’s not that, Leon,” you say. “It’s that you keep comparing me to your little brother. I already feel like an amateur with Pokémon, and with surviving in the wild in general, so whenever you compare me to Hop it makes me feel like a child too.”

Leon’s brow furrows, and he quickly steps over to you. He reaches down, pauses, and you let him take your hands in his as he shakes his head.

“No,” he says quietly as he breathes out a laugh. “No, that’s never what I meant, I never intended to make you feel like that.”

The wheat around you rustles, and again that gold glints in his eyes.

“So, when you said I smile like a little kid…?” you carefully add.

“I meant that you and Hop are both authentic people, and you both have big and contagious smiles,” Leon explains. “I love it when he smiles, and I love it when you smile, when you laugh. I did _not_ mean that you remind me of a child.”

“Oh,” you say quietly. Well, that clears that up.

“I… I, uh,” Leon stutters. “I definitely see you as a… woman. S-so, um, if that helps.”

Hm.

What.

“Or does that make things weird?” Leon says quickly as he yanks his hands away from yours. “Gah, sorry, I’m not used to being bad at talking to women.”

“What?”

“I-it’s just, I’ve talked to hundreds of women-”

You raise your eyebrows.

“Well okay not _hundreds_ ,” Leon quickly backtracks. “But a lot of them throw themselves at me but they don’t ever really mean anything to me,”

_Wow._

“B-but you do!” Leon spits out. “That’s what I mean, you’re different than all of them.”

Wow again. You wonder how many times he’s used that line.

He hides his face in his hands and Charizard snorts.

“This is not going well.”

“Not really,” you say.

And, unfortunately, everything about your relationship is a bit foggy again.

“Well, maybe food will help you feel better? Food helps me feel better,” Leon says quickly as he spoons some porridge out for you. “Seeing as I can’t help but put my foot in my mouth.”

He’s babbling at you about food and breakfast, and you breathe out a laugh. Yes, Leon is a little strange, and occasionally strangely pretentious. He’s still eager to please you, eager to make sure you’re comfortable around him, and again, that fact makes you a little more comfortable around him. Maybe too comfortable around him… After a minute straight of him talking, you set your hand on his forearm, and he closes his mouth.

“You’re okay, Leon,” you say quietly. “I didn’t mean to upset you, and I know you didn’t mean to upset me. Thank you for explaining what you meant, and it’s actually really sweet. I know how much you care for Hop, and it’s an honor that you care about me too.”

Leon exhales deeply, and his eyes soften when he looks at you.

“I, yeah,” he says quietly. “I mean it, I do care about you.”

A smile pulls at the corners of your mouth at the sound of those sweet words. Even if it might be just as friends, there’s also that little bit of warmth, a little bit of peony pink, that seeps into you.

You hold your arms out, Leon glances between them and your eyes, and quickly covers the distance between you. You wrap your arms around his waist, pull him against you, and Leon curls his arms around your shoulders. You both let out a deep, contended sigh from deep in your lungs. You may be selfishly indulging yourself in his arms, but when you pull an inch away, he doesn’t seem ready to let go.

“I didn’t realize how rubbish I was at talking to women until I met you,” Leon grumbles into your hair. “So, uh, my bad.”

You chuckle and pat his back.

“No hard feelings, Leon,” you say as you give him a final squeeze. You step back and motion to finally try some of that berry jam, but Leon’s hand trails down to your waist. His eyes are murky again, lidded, and glinting golden in the light of the morning sun. Perhaps you didn’t imagine that look in his eyes yesterday.

He cups your jaw gently, brushes over your cheek as if you were made of glass.

“…Leon?” you whisper. He leans his head an inch towards yours, and his eyes flit to your lips. That strange something pulls in your stomach again.

“You’re… you’re different,” he says quietly, though his gaze hasn’t strayed.

Your eyelids start to flutter when he leans an inch closer, and that heat starts to flare in you again when his hand delicately curves around your waist to the small of your back, as he gently pulls you closer.

“I know I like being close to you,” he says. His words are quiet, as if he’s more talking to himself than he is to you. “I know you’re kind, and I know you’re clever...”

A blush is creeping into your cheeks, and then even more so when you realize he can probably feel how hot you’re getting. Half of you wants him to stop staring at your lips, the other half wants him to do it until the end of time.

“And I like making you laugh,” he continues as he leans an inch closer. “And you like making me laugh...”

You nod, and your eyes switch from his strange expression to his lips.

“But…” he whispers. “I don’t know why you make me so nervous.”

His lidded gaze is fixed on your lips, and his gentle touch is slowly angling your chin. Is… is this actually happening?

“…Leon?” you whisper again. His eyes flit to meet yours, and his brow is furrowed.

“Yes?”

His fingers are splayed over your lower back, and his other hand is still tilting your jaw to him. You had every intention to ask what on earth he was planning to do, but you end up screeching when something climbs up your leg again. Leon’s lidded gaze snaps into a wide-eyed one, and he immediately pulls you away from the thing crawling up your back.

You hear a squeak, and glance down to see the Minccino lying in the dirt.

“Oh, no, Minccino!” you quickly croon. “Sorry, you scared me!”

The Minccino doesn’t run off, but instead shakes herself off, sniffs your hand when you reach out to her, then bumps her head against you. You give her an ear scratch as a smile blooms on your face.

“She’s been following you for two days,” Leon says as you let her climb up your arm again, apparently well beyond whatever he was calculating when he was staring at you. “I think you’ve got an excellent candidate for a second team member.”

“You think so?” you say with a grin. “What do you think, Minccino, want to join me and Growlithe in our Pokémon journey?”

She flicks her tail back and forth, and you take that as a yes. You call forth Growlithe, and Minccino immediately leaps off your shoulder to bound around him.

“No, wait, I’ve got to catch you proper,” you scold as they nuzzle their faces together. “Stop being mushy, we’ve got to battle first.”

They both perk up at the word, and immediately Minccino darts away, then rushes forward with a Pound attack. You flinch back in shock, as does Growlithe, at the instantaneous obedience to your command. Charizard had been watching the commotion and perks up at the sound of the battle, and Leon quickly meets him and Dreepy on the sidelines of your makeshift camp-turned-battlefield.

Growlithe bites down, light erupts from Minccino’s Swift, and the two scurry back and forth as you call out attacks. Growlithe can’t use any fire moves and risk setting the wheat ablaze, so it’s a lot of Bites and Agility. After a few minutes, Minccino’s moves are slowing, and your heart starts beating harder. You scramble to your bag, pull out a Poké Ball, and hurl it at Minccino.

You weren’t even close in your aim, and immediately tears of frustration start to prick. You literally have a Pokémon crawling on you and you can’t even catch her? _Hopeless, useless, not good enough._ Before you blindly grab at another Poké Ball, Leon is next to you and holding one out.

“When you get too excited you don’t think,” he says. His calming voice brings you from your heated exasperation. “Minccino is quick, but she’s been slowed. Wait until Growlithe either corners her or weakens her more.”

You nod and call out a few more attacks on Minccino. There aren’t many corners around here in these fields of wheat, so you want until she’s sluggish, and you reach for the Poké Ball in Leon’s hands, and go to throw it. You pause when Leon gently brushes your shoulder.

“Are you even aiming?” he asks. “Slow down, look at where your arm is, and look at where she is.”

You quickly take inventory, trace the line your throw would follow, and you realize that you would have this Poké Ball hurtling into next year. You nod, lower your arm, and close one eye to properly aim. You feel Leon’s touch on your shoulder again, and you look back at him.

“May I fix your form?” he asks. “Better to do it now than have bad form and physical therapy for years.”

You nod. You expected him to like, move your arm or something, but suddenly Leon’s hands are turning your hips, pushing your leg back, angling your torso, sliding his hands down your arms to arrange them properly.

That pull in your stomach is almost unbearable when his hands are on your hips and how his lips are by your ear again.

“Plant your foot, then imagine a line between your hand and your target,” he says. “Focus.”

Focus on what? Something besides how close he is? Something besides how some of his fingers are sliding beneath the hem of your shirt? Yeah, right, like that was possible right now. Is this what _his_ teacher did to show him how to throw a Poké Ball? Seems a little invasive, and you wished you didn’t like it so much.

You nod just so he won’t stand so close to you, and once he steps away, you follow his instructions and throw the Poké Ball. It hits Minccino on the edge of her tail, but it’s just enough for the ball to open, and for her to flash inside. The ball falls to the ground with a _tink,_ rolls once, twice, three times, and clicks.

The world seems to stop for a moment as the click echoes in your ears, resonates through the fields of wheat, reverberates through your entire body.

You never thought a sound could be so sweet.

“I did it,” you whisper.

Growlithe comes running at you, and a grin spreads over your face.

“I did it! I did it, Growlithe!” you enthuse as you pick him up and twirl him around. “We have a new teammate!”

He barks and scrambles out of your arms to push at the ball with his nose. You turn to Leon to see his beaming smile matching yours.

“Leon!”

“What!”

“I did it!”

“Yes! Brilliant work!” he says, and you fling your arms around him again to squeeze him as hard as you can. “I knew you could do it, I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you!” you say as you grip his hands in yours. “Thank you so much for your help, you’re amazing.”

“It was my pleasure, I’m so excited for you,” he says as he squeezes your hands in return. “Go on, let her out, go officially meet your new team member.”

You do just as he says, and Minccino quickly joins you in your victory celebration by climbing up your arm again. You scratch under her chin, but when Leon reaches to pet her too, she hisses.

You both flinch back in shock and Leon yanks his hand away.

Minccino’s fur is standing on end, and low growl is resonating deep in her throat. It grows louder when Leon reaches towards her again, and he inhales sharply when her claws slice into his hand.

“Ah, shit,” he mumbles as he shakes his hand out. “Not a fan of _the_ Leon, huh, Minccino?”

You reach your hand up to her, though she doesn’t scratch you, and your brow furrows.

“Sorry, Leon,” you say. “I… I didn’t think she’d react like that.”

“Me neither,” Leon says as he assesses his injury. “Her claws didn’t go deep, she just startled me more than anything.”

“Will some berry jam and burnt toast make you feel better?” you ask. “I’ll get you a bandage, too.”

Leon chuckles, but his smile doesn’t reach his eyes as he turns from you.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” he says. “I’m afraid we’re out of bread, though, thanks to my many failed attempts.”

After pressing the little bandage on the back of his hand, you finally sit and enjoy some of the berry jam Leon made for you, and you enthuse about how absolutely delicious it is – but again, his smile doesn’t meet his eyes. You wonder how often Pokémon don’t take to Leon, because his gaze keeps flicking to Minccino sitting comfortably in your lap. He’s settled himself beside Charizard though, and Dreepy has curled into his hair. Hopefully they can make him feel better. You try to make him laugh, and eventually the tension in his shoulders ease as you finish your breakfast.

The sun has climbed higher, and a baby blue sits peacefully in the sky as you and Leon pack up camp. Charizard and his fire-hazard tail are back in his Poké Ball, and you and Leon start your trek again.

You walk and you chat and you try to make Leon smile – it seems the combination of your and Minccino’s frustration with him seems to have affected him more than you realized, as your walk is filled with more silence than normal, even without that strange fog. Leon seems content to listen to some stories you tell him, though he doesn’t add as much snarky commentary as he usually does.

Hm.

The wheat begins to thin the further you walk, until the golden fields are replaced with the speckles of bluebells and scarlet poppy flowers that span as far as you can see. There are bits of yellow mixed in, bits of pink, all throughout the sprawling fields. Little streams begin to crop up, as do a few trees, and you decide that you’re again glad you started out on this Pokémon adventure. You wonder how many artists have sat in these fields to paint the colors.

The vast blue of the sky has also filled with sprawling cotton candy clouds that glow in the mid-afternoon sun. Your shoulders are getting a little sore from Minccino’s added weight, but your heart is lighter that she’s with you, so you let her stay there. Maybe she likes the view. You can probably get a back rub to heal your shoulders tonight too, if Leon’s up for it.

You set up for an early dinner when your stomach rumbles – you walked through without stopping for lunch – and you tell Leon that it’s your turn to cook. He nods and tells you he’ll train with Charizard for a little bit. No jokes or smiles there either. You bite back a sigh when you watch him leave.

“I think you upset him, Minccino,” you say quietly as you catch the faint droop of his shoulders. “I don’t think he’s used to Pokémon not liking him.”

She flicks her tail in retort.

“Will you be nice to him?” you say as you hold her out in front of you. “So he doesn’t pout so much?”

She flicks her tail again.

“I guess I can’t make you like him, though, hm?”

You set her on the ground, and she’s content to play with Growlithe and Dreepy as you set up the cookware. You’ve set up your tent beside a small tree, and you feel a little guilty when your shoes press into the flowers on the ground. There’s really nowhere to step where there aren’t wildflowers, though, so you say a quick apology to nature as you bustle about.

You scrounge around for some firewood, set some stones in a circle around it, and Growlithe lights the fire. It’s crackling pleasantly as you grab the pot to cook dinner.

You wish you had brought some lemonade for Leon, as that might perk him up. You settle for making his favorite dinner, but as you start opening the package, your head whips up when Charizard comes barreling in and skids only a foot from you. You flinch back in shock and nearly step into the fire.

“Charizard?”

He’s growling something at you, and every grumble is laced with a whine. He’s frantically shifting his weight between his two feet and leaning towards you. His eyes are laced with fear, and your heart nearly stops.

“Charizard…?” you say again. “What’s going on?”

What could have happened that the strongest Pokémon you’ve ever imagined has that look in his eyes? He swoops around you and starts pushing you forward with his head. You trip over the fire again, though you aren’t moving fast enough for Charizard, as he’s skidding around the clearing, knocking things over, running into the trees around you. He’s snorting and whining, and now your heart is beating harder because you’ve never seen him act like this before.

It can’t be a strong Pokémon, him and Leon weren’t far, and you didn’t hear a scuffle. You realize that Leon isn’t with him, and your heart skips again.

“Is it Leon?” you ask.

Charizard’s nod is chaotic, and he’s pushing you forward with his head again. You pick up the pace, and you must have inferenced correctly, because Charizard isn’t pushing you, but instead flying in front of you. He’s looking back every few feet, and the dread seeps into your body. Where is Leon, and what happened to make Charizard respond like this?

You follow for a while, and you realize that him and Leon must have been farther than you thought. Another pang of dread seeps into your body, and you start to jog, and when Charizard lets out a desperate whine, you break into a sprint.

You’ve been running through the fields thus far, and your lungs are starting to throb at the pace you’ve set yourself. You start noticing claw marks on the trees around you. There are deep gouges in the bark, branches and shards litter the ground, and you push yourself faster.

There are burn lines in the dirt beneath your feet as you run, and the sun is glinting brighter when you see a small lake in the distance. As you scan the edge of the water, your heart stops.

Leon is lying motionless on the ground.

“Leon!” you call.

You sprint to him, fall beside him, and heave him over so he’s facing the sky. You quickly wipe the mud from his face and shake his shoulders, though his head lolls to the side. You push your fingers into his neck and breathe out half a sigh when you feel his pulse, though when you lean your ear close to his mouth, you don’t feel his breath.

The lake, the scorch marks, his clothes are soaking, and Charizard is panicking. As your unconscious calculates and pieces the scenario together, you lift Leon’s chin. Your parents made you take CPR training eons ago, and even though you resented it as a waste of time then, you are hoping with everything in you that you’re remembering correctly now.

You lean in again, you feel no breath, nor do you see his chest moving. Okay, you’ve tilted the chin up, then you’re pretty sure it’s rescue breaths next. You pinch his nose, press your mouth against his, and breathe deeply. You can’t remember how many you’re supposed to do, but when he doesn’t respond, you remember next is the hard part.

Charizard is still writhing around you, and you have to tell him to back up so he doesn’t shake the ground with his stomps. Okay, interlock the fingers? Or just press? You try interlocking your fingers, but that doesn’t give much pressure. You have to kneel and press your entire weight against him to push into his chest. You can’t remember how many times you’re supposed to do that either, so you try a few times, then lean in, and give him a few more breaths.

Your heart is pounding, the sweat is beading on your temple, and the adrenaline is coursing through your veins as you start the compressions again. You hope it’s enough, you hope you’re doing it right, but the hope starts to fade the longer you’re at it. You lean in again, give him another breath, and lean back again. He still has a pulse, so you just need to get the water out of his lungs. You’re not sure what else you can do, you’re not sure you’re even doing it right, and as the panic sets it, Leon coughs.

He coughs a few more times and you help him sit up as he rids his lungs of the water, though it takes a lot for you to not topple over from shock and fatigue. You try to nestle behind him to let him rest against you, just as he did when you first met. He’s heaving out breaths, inhaling sharply, and you have to make sure Charizard doesn’t lay on top of him when he comes barreling over again. Charizard quickly slides his head onto Leon’s chest, and Leon weakly wraps his arms around his neck.

“I’m fine, buddy,” Leon says feebly, though each word is laced with a cough. “I’m okay, I’m alive.”

Charizard lets out a hum in response, and licks Leon’s cheek a few times. You didn’t even know Charizards could lick.

“You okay?” you ask as Leon coughs out the rest of the water from his lungs.

“Yeah,” he says hoarsely. “Yeah, I’m fine, just got in a little over my head there.”

“What happened?” you ask as you pull his sopping hair from his neck. He’s starting to shiver, so you try to warp around him as much as you can.

“Training with Charizard against three Onix, one chucked me into the water. He took care of them, but he couldn’t get close enough when a Frillish pulled me under for too long. I kicked it off after a while, but its stingers hurt like hell and I lost a lot of air in the process.”

“Oh Leon,” you sigh as you rub over his arms. You look down to see his leg shining red from where the Frillish must have stung him, and wiry maroon lines curl around his calf. “We’ve got some painkiller, though I’m afraid I don’t know how else to treat a Frillish sting.”

“I don’t either,” he says with a sigh. “I’m just glad I’m alive. You saved my life.”

“Just returning the favor,” you say gently, and he chuckles again. “Charizard led me to you, so I’d thank him, too.”

“The tables have turned, huh?” Leon says as he pats Charizard on the head again. “Looks like we’ve both got Pokémon to thank for keeping us alive.”

You nod and pat Charizard too. You lean back, let Leon rest against you, and you both heave out another sigh. He’s a little heavy, and his sopping clothes don’t help.

“You should take your sweater off, Leon,” you say. “Let it dry out, and you can air dry.”

He laughs at that, though half of it is coughing, and you help him sit up. He peels off his sweater, his shirt, his shoes, and flops against you again. You grunt and really engage your core to keep from falling backwards from the momentum. He breathes out a hum when you pull his bangs from his face, and another hum when Charizard warms the air around you.

“This is nice,” he says. “I should almost drown more often.”

“Please,” you scoff. “I nearly had a heart attack.”

It seems the danger of the Onix and Frillish has passed, because you hear a brief ruffling in the grass and a few Bunnelby, Oddish, and Cherubi faces pop out. You’re content to watch them play and splash in the lake, and after a few minutes of Leon’s breathing slowing, and of your legs starting to fall asleep, you brush through his hair again.

“How are you feeling?” you ask.

“Hmng?”

“Were you sleeping?”

“Yeah, sorry, you’re super comfortable. I’m feeling comfortable.”

Your eyebrows raise as you feel that strange pull in your stomach again.

“Oh, um, thanks, I guess.”

“Yup.”

“W-we should probably go back though, so you can rest properly.”

“I am resting properly.”

“Leon.”

He chuckles. You motion to help him stand, only to pause when he speaks again.

“Wait,” Leon says quietly. “C’mere.”

You lean your head down to hear him better. He slides his hand up to cup your jaw, he pulls you closer, and he presses his lips to your cheek.

For the second time today, the world seems to stop for a moment.

His kiss lingers, and his eyelashes tickle your skin. His lips remind you of those cotton candy clouds floating pink over your head as the sun starts to set, and Leon finally breaks off.

“Thank you,” he whispers against your cheek.

You blink a few times. And a few times more. Charizard pulls Leon up off the ground, and you’re still sitting and blinking. Leon tilts his head, then waves his hand in front of your face as he calls your name.

“Right! Right, yes, you’re welcome,” you splutter out as you quickly stand and brush yourself off. You pick up Leon’s sopping clothes. “You’re welcome, you’re my pleasure. Er, I mean you pleasure me, er, no, _it’s my pleasure_ , is, uh, is what I mean to say. Shall we get going then? I hope the fire is still in the fire and, a-and uh, I mean that it hasn’t caught anything else on fire beside the fire. Wood. The firewood. Can you walk? How’s your leg?”

“I’m fine,” Leon says with a chuckle. You wish he wouldn’t bite his lip like that. “I might be limping for the rest of the day though.”

“I can carry you,” you quickly offer. Leon raises an eyebrow.

“Can you?”

“Well actually probably not,” you say as your eyes trail down his frame. Yep, he’s pretty dense and muscular and probably much too heavy. You stop staring and quickly step past him. “Okay um well let me know if I can help!”

Wow, that was embarrassing. Way to make your stupid crush not obvious.

Leon chuckles again, and the three of you make your way back down the path. It doesn’t seem as long as it did when you first came running to find Leon, and soon you’re back at your little camp to see that the fire is still in the fire and hasn’t caught anything else on fire beside the fire. Wood. Whatever, geez.

You help Leon sit, you elevate his leg on your rolled up sleeping bag, and you dig around for the disinfectant.

“I don’t actually know if you should disinfect Frillish stings,” you say sheepishly. “And there’s no open wounds that I can see… What do you think?”

Leon shrugs.

"They say if you pee on Frillish stings that helps," he says.

You stare at Leon for a second.

"I'm... I'm not going to pee on you."

"Alright that's fair. Slab on that disinfectant then.”

You nod and set to work ‘slabbing it on.’ Leon grimaces and inhales sharply, and you reach your hand out for him. He almost breaks your fingers with how hard he’s squeezing, but you intimately know the pain of the rubbish disinfectant searing into you. His leg is raw and throbbing, and your lower lip sticks out as you set to work on wrapping a bandage around it. Poor thing. Maybe there were some open wounds that you just couldn’t see, and you wonder how small Frillish stingers are. Once Leon’s leg is expertly bandaged, you offer him a soft smile.

“Thank you,” he says again as he matches your smile. “I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“And I’d be dead if it weren’t for _you_ ,” you reply. “Looks like some universal force knew we needed each other, huh?”

Leon’s gaze softens, and again he looks a bit like a painting, what with the bluebells and poppies framing his head.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he says gently.

You tear your gaze away before you start moronically stuttering again and set to work on cooking. Leon is content to lean against Charizard as you cook, though his eyes flutter closed every few minutes. Almost drowning is probably exhausting. You could both benefit from staying here for a bit.

You cook and you eat and you chat and you ignore how Leon’s gaze seems to bore a little bit deeper whenever he looks at you until the night has taken over the sky, just a bit darker than the bluebell flowers in the fields. He still isn’t talking much, so perhaps you can tell him a bit about the constellations that span over your heads. He might find that interesting. You know you do, as that topic was quite a rabbit hole when you started studying how to navigate in the wild – the stars are just as much a map as your map is, and you found that fascinating.

You unfurl your blanket and help Leon settle into it, and you lay beside him as the night claims more of the horizon. Your fire is doused, though you can’t help Charizard’s tail, and he seems determined to be as close to Leon as he can. You can still see the stars even with that little bit of light, and it helps you see Leon better, too.

Growlithe is slotted between you and Leon, and Minccino and Dreepy are snuggled between your ankles. As you point out the different constellations that scatter across the sky above you, Leon seems more intent to watch you talk instead of watching the stars you’re talking about.

You try to ignore it, just as much as you try to ignore how he inches closer every few minutes, or how he rests his head on his arm, or how he’s got the ghost of a smile on his lips, or how he’s really not trying very hard to look at the stars above your head. It’s more challenging to ignore, however, when Leon gently reaches towards you and brushes the loose strands of hair from your cheek.

You purse your lips in protest.

“Are you even listening?” you huff. He raises his eyebrows as he focuses in.

“Hm? I mean yes,” he says, though that impish smile betrays his sentence.

“What did I just say?”

“You were talking about the stars.”

You laugh and roll your eyes, and Leon smiles too because of it.

“Well I guess you’re not wrong. Which one was I talking about?”

“Uh,” Leon says, though again, he doesn’t try very hard to hide his smile. “The one about… the glittery one.”

“Yeah, no,” you say as you laugh again. “You weren’t even looking.”

Leon shrugs, but he doesn’t shyly stray his gaze or defend himself like you thought he would. He seems content to openly stare at you, though you aren’t too content to let him, what with how that pull in your stomach seems to be pulling harder. Yep, your little crush on Leon is now a big crush on Leon, so you’re the one to tear your eyes away.

“Leon,” you huff as your cheeks stain red. You wonder how obvious your blush is when it’s so dark out. “Stop staring at me.”

“Sorry,” he chuckles, though he doesn’t stop staring. “Does it make you nervous?”

“…a little,” you mumble.

“I just…” he says quietly. “I really appreciate you.”

You look back to him and let a smile slip.

“I appreciate you too.”

Even more so now, strangely enough, because today Leon seems a little more human. Although you aren’t excited about the fact that Minccino doesn’t like him or that he almost drowned when training, those failures of his make you feel closer, like you two aren’t so different after all.

He’s not invincible, just as much as you aren’t, and that strange ideal seems to open your heart to him even more.

“Being out here with you is one of the best things that’s happened to me in a long time,” he says.

Leon is finally watching the stars instead of you.

“I’ve said it a couple times,” he continues. “But my job is really demanding. I don’t have a lot of time to think, let alone lay and watch the stars with someone.”

You nod and turn your own gaze to the night sky. A comet shoots between the stars, glittering white.

“And… there’s a lot of pressure on me,” he says. It’s not often you hear such sadness tingeing in his voice. “I really do love it, but sometimes… sometimes it gets to be too much. It’s like I can never fail at anything, or else I’ll disappoint everyone in my life, everyone in Galar.”

Your brow furrows.

“And today just… just made those facts all the more apparent,” he says with a sigh. “I’m supposed to be the one that all Pokémon love, I’m supposed to be the one that can handle anything.”

“Leon,” you say, and you brush his arm. “No one is perfect at everything, even _the_ Leon.”

He chuckles at that, and you smile as you continue.

“I’m sure that’s not the case,” you say. “I’m sure _everyone_ in Galar won’t be disappointed. If anything, failing makes you human, not some superstar employee at this job you’re at. Sometimes failing can be really liberating – trust me.”

His furrowed brow matches yours when he meets your eye.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” you say as you search his eyes. “I’ve been out here for weeks and I’ve only caught two Pokémon, and I haven’t won a battle yet. Granted, there aren’t as many expectations on me as it sounds like there are on you, but you also learn more when you fail. If Growlithe loved me from the second I caught him, I wouldn’t have learned how to be patient with living creatures. If I had caught all those Woopers back at the pond, I wouldn’t have met those Quagsire, wouldn’t have learned that Pokémon aren’t just made to be trainer’s tools.”

“I do try to learn something in every battle I take part in, every one I watch,” Leon says. A few shooting stars streak above your heads. “So yeah, that makes sense.”

“And even if you do fail at your job, who cares?” you say as you raise an eyebrow. “Some people might, sure, but the world still goes on, Leon. What’s it matter what they think of you? If you do your best, work your hardest, then that’s all you can do. You’ve got a family who loves you, a little brother who adores you, and friends who care about you, flaws and all. And, if your friends leave you for failing, then they weren’t your friends to begin with.”

Leon slowly nods as he processes your words. You gently reach down, and curl one of your fingers around his.

“And, I hope you know you can fail around me,” you say softly. “I mean that in the best way. I don’t want you to feel like you have to be perfect, because you don’t. I value you for who you are, not what you’ve done or whatever job you’re at.”

Leon searches your eyes. He looks a bit like a painting again.

“I mean don’t mess up on purpose, I guess,” you say with a laugh. “But if you ever do, you can always start over, you can always begin again, and I’ll be happy to be by your side to help, just like you have been for me.”

Leon nods, and you watch the stars glimmer above you.

“What is this job, anyway?” you huff. “Are you getting paid enough? When we get back to town I may have a word with your boss.”

Leon laughs, and Charizard grumpily lifts his head at the sound. Leon gives him a pat on the head, and he settles into sleep again.

“Good luck,” Leon says. “He is a very busy man.”

“Oh please,” you say as you roll your eyes. “Who is he, Rose from Marco Cosmos or something?”

Charizard lifts his head again, Leon’s eyes widen, and he looks up at the stars again.

“Isn’t that constellation about roses?” he quickly asks.

That was suspicious. You wonder if he does work for Rose. That’s honestly super likely, Rose probably owns half of Galar. He’d be a tough boss to have, and if it’s making Leon that nervous, you decide not to push it.

So, you tell him no, that constellation is not called the rose, nor is it called ‘the glittery one,’ and Leon laughs as you explain to him more about what it’s actually called. As you describe it, you really wish he would have pointed to a different one, because the one he pointed to is basically one of the most erotic celestial love stories there is. You leave out some details, especially when you feel Leon’s eyes on you again.

“So, then they, uh,” you stutter as you try to figure out how to tell the story of this strangely sensual constellation. “They had lots of kids and enjoyed making lots of kids and yeah.”

“I like that one,” Leon whispers, though again, it’s almost a purr. “It’s funny to watch you tell that story.”

You purse your lips again as the heat flares in your cheeks from his tease.

“You blush quite a bit, you know that?” Leon says quietly as he leans closer. And, unfortunately, you prove him right.

“Well sorry that story is super embarrassing to tell,” you mutter. “You picked the worst one.”

He chuckles at that, and your heart starts beating harder when he leans closer.

His gaze is flitting to your lips again, and the impish glimmer in his eyes is replaced with the glint of something else. You can’t quite identify it.

He brushes the back of his finger up your cheek, then gently cups your face.

“Leon?” you whisper. What is he doing? Why does he keep doing these things?

He doesn’t respond, but instead leans closer. Your eyes start to flutter despite yourself, and that blush is flaming in your cheeks when he has that look on his face.

Yep, your little crush on Leon is now a big crush on Leon. You hate how much you love him holding you like that.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. You let out an embarrassing squeak at the tenderness in his words, the tenderness in his smile.

Oh, shit, wow, he’s so close.

“Are you feeling okay?” you whisper. “Y-you’re… you’re acting strange, Leon,”

Perhaps it’s some side-effect of the Frillish sting? Maybe? He’s still not responding, but he’s leaning closer. Nope, too close, too much, too embarrassing, too soon, so you lean away, sit up, and pretend to adjust Minccino. She doesn’t appreciate being woken up, but you ignore her since you don’t want your heart to explode with how hard it’s beating.

“Y-you’re probably feeling delusional, huh?” you squeak out. “You had a long day after all, I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I am,” Leon says, and you breathe out a sigh. Okay, so that’s probably it. He’s probably just tired, he didn’t know what he was doing.

You start to stand, only for Leon to clear his throat. Neither of you are laying down now, and Leon clenches his fists, just to open them, then clench them again. Your eyebrows pull together, then shoot high on your forehead when Leon kneels in front of you and grabs your hands.

“I’d like to sleep with you tonight,” he says boldly.

Charizard snorts. Leon is staring into your eyes, and you blink a few times as you process his request.

“You want to… sleep together?” you repeat slowly.

“Yes.”

Your mouth has gone dry as if you’ve swallowed a Cottonee. Yep, he’s delusional.

“That’s,” you cough. “That’s a little forward, Leon. I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

His eyes widen and it’s like you see the exact moment that the revelation dawns, because it’s the exact moment that terror flashes in his eyes.

“N-Not like that!” he blurts out. “That’s not what I mean, I just meant like, next to you, with you, not that I wouldn’t want to because I am super attracted to you, but I wouldn’t want to! Not if you’re not ready, o-or at all, is what I mean!”

You can only manage to blink in response as Leon’s blush flares in his cheeks, his ears, down his neck. His hands are starting to feel a little clammy, as he still hasn’t let go of yours.

“We don’t have to!” he stutters again as he frantically scrambles for a redeeming sentence. “We don’t have to sleep together ever, I mean, not like that, or like we normally do either! I-I’d just thought I’d ask since I’ve wimped out every other time to actually ask!”

It’s taking you a while to process his words.

“And it’s been a couple nights a-and I sleep better when you’re, um, when I’m holding you or when you’re holding me a-and, and…”

Leon is searching your eyes. Apparently, he doesn’t find much, because he huffs.

“Arceus please say something,” he pleads. “I didn’t mean to sound like a horny lunatic, I swear that’s not what I meant.”

“I, uh, sure,” you say mindlessly. “That’s fine.”

“Great, okay, great,” he says, and in your periphery, you can see Charizard rolling his eyes. “I’ll get the cot, we can sleep out here, you can tell me more about the stars.”

“Sure,” you say again, and Leon scrambles up, limps into your tent, and comes out with the cot.

You set it up as that strange anticipation flares between you, and when you both curl into the cot, it feels a little different this time. Leon’s adjusted himself so his leg is still propped up, and that causes you to tangle around him closer than you have before. Or perhaps you’re just as close as you have been before, but something about it makes your heart kick harder.

Maybe it’s something about the night, about the stars shining over you, or maybe it’s because you can hear Leon’s heart thumping hard in his chest. You wonder if he can feel your racing heartbeat too.

Growlithe hops up onto the cot, curls between your ankles, and even Minccino delicately settles herself against your back. Dreepy has snuggled up with Growlithe, and you vaguely wonder how much weight this cot can hold.

Yes, it’s something about this strange closeness, this insecure solidarity, this mutual vulnerability, that helps you realize that you and Leon may be a little more than friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are these chaps too long?? Yeesh I just start writing and just like. Keep going lol. I hope it is not overwhelming?? hope you enjoyed though!!  
> edit: after posting this 3 hours ago i have learned that it is not too long and user heckaroni has reminded me that people try to pee on jellyfish stings. so, hats off to that.


	8. Chapter 8

This is the first time you’ve woken up before Leon and you quickly decide it’s for the best.

Leon is very much curled around you, and very much snoring in your ear. It’s rumbling through your entire body, probably the entire world, and if it’s not shaking the earth’s crust, it’s at least making your skull vibrate.

You try to turn to muffle the sound, but the second you move he curls his arms around you tighter. He seems to give a grunt of disapproval when you shift again, but you’re not sure if that was just a different variation of snore. You succumb to your bones rattling as he lets out a particularly hearty snort.

He’s… he’s a little clingy. If you were being cute, you’d say he was a little cuddle bug, but the way he snorts in your ear again isn’t all that cute. You could hear the phlegm in that one.

As you try to distract yourself from Leon’s snoring, you reminisce on the past few days. They’ve been… strange. They’ve been laced with both a giddy anticipation and the air of unease as you’ve trekked through the rest of the Rolling Fields. You greatly enjoy Leon’s company, and Growlithe and Minccino have been leveling up quicker than you expected. Your training is going well, your foraging attempts have been successful, and you’re happy to share Leon’s cot with him every night.

But, Leon hasn’t been feeling well, and you’re sure it is just as much mental issues as it is physical ones – his leg has healed from his Frillish sting well enough to travel, but he’s not smiling so often, and is often lost in thought. There have been times where he’d almost tripped into a river or into a thorn bush if you hadn’t pulled him back quickly enough. He even spilled soup on you last night because you didn’t grab the bowl quickly enough, so your only clean shirt was stained. After apologizing profusely, he had let you borrow one of his, thankfully, so you didn’t have to smell like soup for the rest of the night.

It’s not that he’s avoiding you (as that would be challenging since you’re traveling together), but his actions consistently confuse you, such as leaning towards you when you speak, only to lean back again, reaching to brush your hair from your cheek, only to pull his hand away, smiling that silly smile when he stares, only for his brow to furrow when he focuses in. You always wonder what he’s thinking, when he looks at you like that. Maybe you can talk to him about it today, see if he's feeling okay.

Sometimes you wonder if he’s uncomfortable with you, but when the blanket of night offers its protection, he doesn’t stray his gaze, he doesn’t caution his touch, not until the dawn breaks. He’s been up and off somewhere before you wake these past few days, so you wonder how this morning will go.

You’re on the outer edge of the East Lake Axewell now, and perhaps the weather has added to his gloom. The sky has been a damp overcast for the past few days, and there has been a sprinkle of rain – not enough to stop your travel, but just enough to dampen your clothes and spirits. When Leon unintentionally let out his fourth somber sigh in an hour, you decided to set up camp last night in a little cave you found. It isn’t nearly as deep as the cave where you met Leon, though it offers more protection than your hill outcropping did in the Rolling Fields. You don’t need to use your tent, as the sloped gray walls arc enough to keep out the rain, and it’s large enough where Charizard can join you when you’re in for the night.

You glance up to see that Charizard is awake and watching you, and you both flinch when Leon snorts again. Was that a nod? He probably understands this better than anyone. You nod in solidarity with Charizard, and you both heave out a sigh when Leon smacks his lips in his sleep.

Perhaps you can just, like, try to fall asleep again. Leon is comfortable at least, so maybe you can just try to ignore the snoring. It’s like a mini back massage as it rumbles against you. That rationale helps a little, and you nestle against him and your eyes close. You’re not sure how this motion was all that different than the last, but Leon hooks his leg around yours and nuzzles his face into your hair. His snoring is replaced with a satisfied hum, and your eyes shoot open when he whispers your name.

Did you... did you imagine that?

“…Leon?” you ask cautiously. “Are you awake?”

He hums again and pulls you closer to him.

“Leon?” you try again.

He exhales deeply and his breath ruffles your hair. You glance up to see Charizard shaking his head.

“He’s still sleeping?” you ask. Charizard nods.

Maybe… maybe you just imagined it.

Nope, there it is again.

He’s… he’s saying your name in his sleep? He’s… dreaming about you?

Something pulls in your stomach at the thought.

“I can get that for you,” he mumbles against your hair.

“What?”

“Banjo anchovy,” he mumbles.

“…what?” you repeat.

You see Charizard shaking his head again.

“Sleep talking?” you ask. He nods again. Poor Charizard probably never gets any decent sleep.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. “I love feeling you against me.” 

Your eyes widen, and that strange pull in your stomach intensifies.

Apparently, his dream must have shifted, because Leon’s snore is back full throttle.

“He was probably just,” you explain to Charizard. “He’s probably just talking about the banjo anchovy.”

Charizard raises an eyebrow.

“Definitely the banjo anchovy. The banchovy.”

You’re not sure if it’s a laugh or a sneeze from Charizard, but whatever it is, flames shoot from his nostrils and Leon bolts up.

“Huh? Wh-where…?” he mumbles. After he processes, he slumps beside you again, and resumes his position of tugging you against his chest. He yawns, and his hand lightly slides under the hem of your shirt. You’re not sure if it’s intentional, or if it’s just because he’s half asleep, but his fingers rest lightly against your skin. The feeling makes that pull in your stomach pull harder.

“Good morning,” he mumbles into your hair.

He doesn’t move his hand, even when you shift an inch.

“Morning,” you whisper in return. “How did you sleep?”

He hums and adjusts himself against you, though his hand is still lightly splayed over your stomach.

“Good,” he says through a yawn. “You?”

“Good,” you say quietly.

The chirp of birds echo around you, and the morning rain gently dapples across the stone mouth of the cave. You chew your cheek as you try to figure out the least precarious way to ask your next question.

“Did you… have any interesting dreams?”

Leon stretches and you hear a few pops. The sounds are contagious, and now that he’s released his grip on you, you can stretch too, with as much room as the cot allows.

“Not really,” he says. You finish your first morning stretch and you don’t have much room for a second because Leon’s arms weave around you again the second you relax. You decide that now he’s a bit of a cuddle bug. “I don’t remember my dreams that often.”

“Oh,” you mutter. “Shame.”

You couldn’t have imagined it though, because Charizard nodded. You and Charizard seem to have a strange understanding of one another, so you don’t think that you’re not on the same wavelength.

“Did you?”

“Not really,” you hum. “Just one about… banjos and… an anchovy.”

“What’s an anchovy?”

So much for that. Just as you have every day thus far, you can again affirm that Leon is a little strange.

“It’s a type of fish.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. Do you like fish?”

“I guess.”

“Me too.”

You shift again, though it doesn’t seem Leon is ready to let you up.

“Do you want me to catch you some today?” he asks.

“You know how to fish?”

“You just grab them out of the water, right?”

“Uh, I guess you could try. It’d probably be easier to use a fishing rod though.”

“Oh, yeah, that is a better idea.”

You roll your eyes, and Leon yawns again.

“Let’s sleep for a little longer,” he says.

He stretches again and keeps his arms up as he slowly readjusts. Although you were pressed against each other all night with your back to his chest, it’s like he’s trying to slowly slide beneath you. You’re not quite sure where he’s going with this, though he’s pinching your hip against the cot with his. You turn your hips, slot one leg between his, and rest most of your body on top of him. He breathes in deeply, and you raise a few inches, only to sink back down when he exhales. That felt a little strange. He doesn’t seem to mind, because he’s hooked one hand behind his neck, and is rubbing your back with the other. Didn’t he want to sleep? How’s he supposed to sleep if he’s rubbing your back? It does feel nice, though, and you rest your head on his chest. He hums in approval. Perhaps this is what he was going for? His sleep-talk comment about how he ‘loves feeling you against him’ drifts through your mind, and you turn your head to hide the blush that’s creeping on your cheeks.

Your eyes flutter closed as he brushes your hair from your face, then gently scratches the top of your head. Hmm. Yes, you don’t mind this at all. He’s at it for all of thirty seconds, and just as you slowly fade into sleep again, he starts shifting.

“Mmkay,” he mumbles. “My turn.”

You grumble a protest, but Leon is already wriggling out from underneath you. The cot creaks, and before you know it, you’ve switched spots, and he slumps on top of you.

“L-Leon,” you cough. He adjusts so he’s not suffocating you, then you exhale. “Thanks.”

“Hmmhmm,” he hums.

He’s nestled his face into the crook of your neck, fit his leg between yours, and you are fully cocooned within this cot and Leon’s arms. And legs.

He bumps your chin with the top of his head, and you take that as a signal to comb through his hair. The second you do, he breathes a satisfied hum that tickles your neck. Ah, so this is what he was planning. Yes, definitely a cuddle bug. You don’t mind though, it’s sweet to see such a strong and capable man so snuggly like this. And now that your little crush on Leon has turned into a huge crush on Leon, that is another reason why you definitely don’t mind. Minccino has joined you and has curled herself into the small of Leon’s back, Dreepy has nested into Leon’s hair, Growlithe is between your ankles, and you resign to the fact that you won’t be moving any time soon. You hear a snort and glance up to see Charizard watching the scene unfold.

“Are you laughing at me?” you ask with a smirk. Charizard raises an eyebrow as his eyes scan your predicament.

“Ignore him,” Leon hums groggily. “He’s just jealous because he can’t fit.”

You chuckle, though when you try to adjust yourself so you can still breathe, Leon whines.

“We can’t get up too early, it’s bad luck.”

“You just made that up,” you chuckle.

Leon’s response is a grunt, and you roll your eyes again. He heaves a deep sigh, it tickles your neck, and you wrinkle your nose as you try to bite down a giggle. You can feel Leon’s smile when you squirm.

“Are you ticklish?” he mumbles into your skin. You squeeze your eyes closed and try to ignore the feeling of his lips against you.

“I don’t think it’d be wise to test,” you say. “We’d probably break the cot.”

“Probably,” he mumbles as he curls his arms around you. He must be half-asleep again, because he easily breathes out his next sentence. “You’re so comfy.”

“What is with you this morning?” you ask as you gently comb through his hair.

“Nothin’.”

“Ah, of course, my mistake.”

If humans could purr, you’re sure Leon would be, especially when you comb his hair from his cheek, and brush through his bangs with your fingers.

Yep, definitely a cuddle bug. You’re glad he’s not snoring, as your bones might break since he’s squarely on top of you. Hopefully you don’t have to go to the bathroom any time soon.

You both doze in and out for some time, but your eyes flutter open whenever you stop combing through his hair, seeing as Leon bumps your chin with his head the second you stop. The third time it happens you chuckle, and the sound seems to make Leon curl around you tighter.

“Let’s stay here forever,” Leon mumbles.

“Mmkay.”

The rain is drizzling outside the mouth of the cave, and a cool breeze wafts in and gently pushes Leon’s hair so it’s tickling your nose. You scrunch your face as if the motion will alleviate the oncoming sneeze. It does, thankfully, otherwise you might burst a blood vessel and Leon might have a thousand scratches from three startled Pokémon.

You don’t stay there forever, but you and Leon and all of your Pokémon (sans Charizard) are content to snuggle on this cot for what’s probably another hour. You finally convinced Leon to switch again because you were getting really hot underneath him and the blanket and three Pokémon, and his hand gently slid an inch under the hem of your shirt again when you swapped spots. You wonder if it comforts him, to feel you so close. Half of your body is tucked against his, and you’re curled around his side. You bump his chin with the top of your head, and when his laugh rumbles through your bones, you wonder if you’re in love with Leon.

You’ve never been in love before.

Is this what it feels like?

To be so peaceful and content to lay with someone for hours in silence, or to talk about nothing, or to talk about everything? To feel so full when his laugh rumbles against you? To hear his heartbeat so close, to feel the heat of his body, to listen to the thoughts and worries and dreams he has?

But… does all that mean you’re in love with him?

Maybe. He’s fun, encouraging, kind. A little mysterious himself, so perhaps you’d try to learn more about him before deciding if you’re in love. You know he makes you feel loved, and you could say you love him as a friend and companion, but loving someone is a little different than being in love with someone. Perhaps you can figure it out by the time you reach the Giant’s Seat. Perhaps your revelation will be clear as you and him watch the Butterfree glowing and glittering in the night sky.

Or… maybe you’re not. Maybe you're infatuated with a tall, charming, strong, funny, and handsome man who saved your life. Maybe you and Leon will travel to the Giant’s Seat, watch the migration, stare into each other’s eyes, lean in, realize you’re not in love, then lean away and part ways for the rest of your lives. Maybe you'll tell your future grandchildren that Leon wasn't the one that got away, because he was never 'the one' to begin with.

The rain patters lightly outside, and you deeply breathe in the scent of the earth, the scent of Leon’s sweater. That scent almost smells like home, now, and your body melts further into relaxation.

As you doze in and out, a thought pricks like a thorn in your side, like an itchy shirt tag you never cut off.

What will you do after you reach the Giant’s Seat?

You might be a little selfish, a little greedy, as you trail your hand up Leon’s stomach, up his chest, just to feel him there, because now you’re acutely aware that he might not always be. Your fingers twirl around a lock of his hair, and you pretend you’re sleeping when Leon lifts his head.

What will happen to you and Leon?

He’ll go home for a bit, then he’ll go back to his stressful job that he loves. You’ll both re-enter the civilized world, you’ll be bombarded with ads and phone screens and high expectations of what life should be like, what pace you should be at in order to be deemed successful. You won’t be able to lay in a cot with Leon and three of your Pokémon for hours as the rain patters on the stone of a cave.

You’re not sure how well you’re acting asleep, but Leon doesn’t notice or doesn’t mind. Your eyes are closed so you can’t see his expression, but you do hear how he lets out a somber sigh, you do feel how he lifts your hand, and you do feel how he presses his lips to your knuckles. You feel it again as he kisses the inside of your palm, lets his kiss linger, then sets your hand back on his chest.

After a few more minutes, Leon gently shakes your shoulder and whispers your name. You grunt in response.

“Hey, you hungry?”

You grunt again. You’d rather eat nothing for the day than get up any time soon.

“I am, and I’ve also really got to use the bathroom,” Leon whispers as he pats your head.

You let out a groan and release your hold on him. You aren’t happy about it, Minccino isn’t happy about it, Dreepy isn’t happy about it, and neither is Growlithe. As soon as Leon wiggles out of the limbs and fur and blankets snuggled around him, the three Pokémon quickly curl against your sides to capture the warmth.

Just as soon as you get comfortable with all three Pokémon, Leon is back and clinking around too much as he gets the fire going, so you let out a huff of mock-frustration as you hoist yourself up to a sitting position. He glances up at you and breathes out a laugh. You’re sure you look like a groggy and grumpy Swadloon.

“Tea or coffee?” he asks as his bare feet tap against the stone of the cave.

You grunt in response, and Leon laughs again as you hold Growlithe to your chest. As Leon is walking by, he leans in and presses a kiss to your cheek, then continues his path to his bag.

“Coffee it is, then,” he says as he pulls a thermos out, then fills the pot with water.

You nod, then your brow furrows.

Strangely enough, the world didn’t seem to stop this time.

Did he… mean to do that? Something like that couldn’t have been an accident, but he doesn’t seem to be paying it any mind as he pokes at the fire. It seemed almost second nature; a little affectionate kiss that fit so perfectly into the ambiance of the damp and pale blue morning. The world didn’t stop when his lips touched your skin because it felt as if there could be no more natural of a response to your innocent grumbling.

Just as easily as his kiss brushed your cheek, you wonder if Leon is in love with you.

Is that the reason for those lingering gazes? Those quickly retracted comments? Those innocent yet prolonged touches? Is that what has been making him so distracted lately?

Is it because of you?

Your brow furrows at the thought.

No… no that can’t be right. He’s so powerful, so charming, so handsome and perfect, why would he fall for someone like you?

You genuinely ponder it for a moment.

Well, you _are_ a hard worker, you’ve grown so much recently, and there are certainly aspects of your face and body that you find beautiful… you like making people smile, you care deeply about Pokémon and the people special to you, so perhaps it wouldn’t be so crazy after all. You and Leon get along well, and you’ve never felt this type of chemistry with anyone before, and you wonder if he could say the same.

Perhaps you could bring it up today… maybe today could be the day that you ask Leon how he feels about you, and what you both are, or what you both could be after you leave the Wild Area. If Leon were by your side, then perhaps re-entering the civilized world wouldn’t be so bad.

“You’re doing it again,” Leon says.

“Huh?” you grunt as you jolt into focus. “What?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh, sorry Leon,” you say quickly. “I was just zoning out for a second.”

“Yeah I could tell, I’m surprised you weren’t drooling.”

You roll your eyes and accept the coffee cup and breakfast oatmeal, and Leon takes a seat beside you. He starts talking with you about his plans for the day, and he asks if Lake Miloch is close – you guess it’s maybe a ten-minute walk. He mentions how he could use a shower, jokingly mentions how _you_ could use a shower, and you threaten to whip him with your greasy hair.

As you joke around for the rest of the morning, your wonderings sit pleasantly in your heart. Perhaps you could be in love with Leon, and perhaps he could be in love with you too.

You’re still set to stay in this cave for another day of rest, so you and Leon just take a day bag with toiletries as you start out to Lake Miloch. Minccino and Dreepy seemed content to nap the day away swaddled in the blanket, so it’s you, Leon, Growlithe, and Charizard to trek. Growlithe could probably use a bath, too, especially since he’s been smelling kinda funky lately.

It isn’t cold out, but it certainly isn’t warm, and as the light rain drizzles over you, you dejectedly realize that the lake water will probably be freezing. Maybe you and Leon can dig out a pit in the sand, fill it with water, then your fire-types can make it a hot tub or something. That’s a lot of digging though, and it’s supposed to be a rest day… You sigh. Icy bathing it is.

You and Leon joke and tease as you walk until the trees thin and the sand replaces the dirt beneath your feet. You take off your shoes and socks, and the cool sand wraps between your toes as you step onto the beach, just as much as the sound of the gentle waves wrap around your ears. The drizzle of rain turns more to a mist as you approach the shore and it hugs your skin like morning dew hugs the grass.

You’re all content to watch the waves for a while and the peaceful air swirls in your lungs, up until the moment Leon clears his throat.

“So, uh,” he starts.

You turn to see him scratching his nose and shifting between his feet.

“What?”

“You know,” he coughs as he vaguely gestures to the lake.

“Yeah?”

“Um,”

Oh.

Hm.

You didn’t think about this.

While your little Wooper pond was enclosed by trees and bushes and a waterfall cliffside, this is a lake. An open, sprawling, naked lake.

“I mean we’ve already seen each other in our underwear,” Leon mutters, though he won’t meet your eye.

“...What?”

Leon’s only response is clearing his throat again.

“What does that matter?” you ask.

“Well,” he says as he sets his hands on his hips. His cheeks are tingeing darker and he still won’t directly look at you. “So it’s not like this will be new...”

He… what?

“You want to bathe… _together?”_ you ask.

He finally meets your eyes when you say that. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it, and again, it’s like you can see the exact moment that revelation dawns.

“N-no! Well, yes, b-but no!” Leon manages to spit out. “I-I thought we would, uh, I, uh, I guess I don’t know why I thought we would but we don’t have to obviously actually you can go first if you want I’ll turn around Charizard knows the drill.”

Leon turns around, briskly walks behind Charizard, and you hear a _pumph_ when he sits in the sand.

Charizard gives you a decisive nod, you take a moment to process, then bite your lip anxiously. It’s not like you don’t trust Charizard, and it’s not like you don’t trust Leon, but the open and sprawling water is a little more daunting than the enclosed Wooper pond, especially now with Leon’s squashed ideation of you both sudsing up together.

Maybe you don’t need to strip completely, maybe you can leave your shirt on like some sort of swimsuit coverup? But then you’d need it to dry, and since it’s so damp out, that means all of your clothes would have to hang in your cave in full view of Leon for hours while they drip-dry…

When Charizard lets out a yawn, an idea pricks. Maybe he could, like, envelope you in his wings and dry you off like a sauna slash blow-dryer? That way you don’t have to lay in the damp sand either. That way you won’t have _all_ your clothes off this time, and Leon’s shirt that you’re wearing goes to your mid-thigh, so maybe it won’t be so bad. Just like a swimsuit and a short dress, right? You can wash yourself and your clothes at the same time, right?

Right.

You peel off your shorts while you continuously reaffirm that this is normal.

The brisk air immediately raises goosebumps on your skin, and you rub your hands over your arms, take a step forward, look back, and Charizard gives you an encouraging nod. You heave in a confident breath, square your shoulders, and boldly step towards the shore. The water isn’t freezing, but it will probably numb your fingers and toes in a few minutes. You step in a few feet, turn back again, just to see the peek of golden eyes quickly duck behind Charizard’s shoulder.

Was that.

Was he.

Wait a second.

Leon was.

Was…

Was that Leon?

Was he… staring at you? Did he peek? Did he just peep at you bathing?

The water is lapping at your ankles and your body moves forward as your mind lags behind. As you shampoo your hair, lather up Growlithe and yourself, it’s like your brain is still trying to catch its footing.

He was.

Was.

He was staring.

Leon was staring at you.

He risked Charizard _and_ you catching him, just to get a peek of what you looked like without any clothes.

You glance back, though it’s just Charizard facing you this time. He gives you a wave, and you absentmindedly wave back.

… surprisingly, you’re not that upset by it. You’re a little embarrassed, sure, but you’re not, like, mortified like you thought you might be. While you’re glad you kept his shirt on, you wonder if Leon is glad you kept his shirt on.

A smirk twitches up the corner of your mouth.

You wonder if Leon liked what he saw.

You rinse everything off, scrub the dirt out of Growlithe’s fur, and finish up within a few minutes. That wasn’t so bad, actually, and Charizard is still in the same spot, and Leon is still facing away.

The goosebumps are angrily prickling cold on your skin, so you wade out of the water when your teeth start to chatter. Leon’s shirt is clinging to your body, trailing water down your thighs, and you now wonder how good of an idea it was to wear clothes while you bathed. You’re glad you didn’t wear your jean shorts though – just imagine the chafing…

Charizard unfurls his wings, and you gratefully accept his warmth as he folds them around you.

Even Leon is taller than Charizard is, and you didn’t consider the fact that his wings wouldn’t cover all of your shivering body. Maybe Leon won’t notice…?

He steps around Charizard, glances in your direction, and he definitely noticed. The tips of his ears tinge pink as he whips his head towards the water.

“Why’d you, um,” he starts.

“Did you expect me to be naked?”

You almost asked if he _wanted_ you to be naked, but you also didn’t want to make his head explode.

Leon stutters out an incoherent response and quickly walks away from you and towards the water. As he pulls his shirt over his head, you try not to stare at how well-defined he is, or how well-built he is, or how this is the second time you get to see those back dimples.

Alright don’t stare, don’t stare, don’t make it weird.

It’s not like he’s not wearing _any_ clothes, not that you notice, because it’s not like you’re staring, because it’s not like you’ve secured yourself into bathing with a man who you’re incredibly attracted to and possibly maybe in love with.

Great.

It’s just like you’re both wearing swimsuits anyway, right? You’ve been on the beach before, right?

Not alone in this murky drizzle with the most attractive man you’ve ever met.

You don’t think about that part too much.

Even though _he_ peeked, you resist every bit of you that wants to stare at an almost-naked Leon, and settle on wringing out your hair instead. He must have finished even quicker than you, because you hear the soft press of his footsteps against the sand. The chill bites at you when Charizard unfurls his wings, and suddenly you’re tripping forward when Charizard pushes you.

You brace your hands against Leon’s chest and his fingers press the cold shirt fabric into your waist as Charizard’s wings swoop around and squeeze you both close to him. Leon’s arms are wrapped around you, your hands are pinned to his chest, and Charizard amps up the heat.

The buffer wheel slowly tacks in a circle in your mind.

Leon is holding you.

Leon is in his underwear.

You are holding Leon.

You are wearing a wet shirt that is clinging to every bit of you.

And you’re not wearing pants.

Yep, that’s it. That’s the situation.

“Uh,” you say. Leon doesn’t respond. “I don’t think we thought this through.”

“Nope,” Leon coughs.

You turn your head, but you can still feel the droplets of water dripping down his chest and outlining your fingers, just as much as you can feel his heart pounding beneath your hands. You resist trailing your fingers down, resist feeling every dip and ridge of muscle on his stomach, around his hips, and you resist pushing your fingers into those dimples so low on his back.

“Kinda cold,” you mutter.

“Yeah, weather’s not too great for this,” Leon agrees. “Wish it were sunnier.”

“Yeah.”

Small talk. Nice. You’re pressed against the most attractive man you’ve ever met, you can feel his heartbeat racing, you can practically feel his hands trembling against you, and all you can think to talk about is the weather. Your internet searches of ‘how to survive in the wild’ didn’t exactly cover this topic.

Growlithe shakes his fur out and it immediately floofs up, and he contentedly trots over to you and Leon. You kind of wish he wasn’t staring at you both.

“You smell nice,” Leon says.

“Thanks.”

“Yup.”

You’re not sure if it’s the lake water or a nervous sweat but most of your front is sticking to Leon, and his hands are sticking to your back.

“What do you want for lunch?” you ask.

“I dunno, whatever we have left.”

“Maybe I can go forage later today, make a stew or something.”

“Yeah that sounds good.”

“Yeah.”

You wonder if anyone has ever died from cringing too hard. You’re close.

“Do you want my sweater?” Leon asks. “You’re shivering.”

“Don’t you want it?”

“It looks better on you than it does on me,” Leon mutters as he glances to the side. “I… I like, er, it looks nice on you, is all, my clothes do, and your clothes do too.”

Charizard sighs.

“Okay, right, I’ll grab it for you.”

Leon peels himself away from you, trots to where your clothes are piled, shakes out the sand, then hands them to you. You both dress after what was probably too long of a time to not be dressed, and you finally start heading back to the cave. You continue to make awkward small talk as you walk, and you wonder why on earth this is happening. Sometimes you and Leon have electrifying chemistry, and other times you feel like a newborn Deerling who doesn’t know how to walk yet so you just fumble around and honk instead of speaking properly.

You make it back to the cave, toss your bag to the ground, and grab Minccino to forage with you. Leon clears his throat.

“Are you still cold?” he asks. You shrug. “Well, um, _I’m_ still cold, so do you, um, do you want to…”

You raise an eyebrow as Leon fumbles in his own sentences.

“I mean I know it’s not nighttime but we’re not going anywhere today, and this morning was really nice and I was wondering if we could… you know.”

Leon heaves in a breath and rubs his hands over his face. You faintly hear a ‘get it together, Lee,’ then he finally looks at you.

“Can we cuddle again? Like we did this morning?” Leon asks. “I really enjoyed it, and I feel like you did too.”

You nod, and a small, sweet smile blooms on Leon’s face. You’re sure your cheeks are tinged just as dark as his.

“I did,” you say quietly. “I wouldn’t mind cuddling during the day and I don’t think the wild berries are going anywhere.”

“Great,” he says, and his little smile grows. “It’ll be warmer, too, I’m sure.”

“I probably shouldn’t wear this wet shirt, though,”

“Probably not,” Leon agrees. “Your other one I spilled soup on might be dry.”

You nod and glance to where your shirt was hanging. When you step over to it, you give Leon a sly smirk.

“Don’t peek this time, okay?”

His eyes widen and he blushes until he’s practically purple. He doesn’t even respond, just turns around completely and holds Growlithe to his face. You bite back a smug chuckle.

You change into your own, dry clothes, then pull Leon’s sweater back on. Instead of speaking, you nimbly climb into the cot with him, and you both tangle together again.

It takes a while to get warm, as both you and Leon were chilly, but Growlithe and this blanket help. You both are content to lay in silence for a while, just listening to the sound of each other’s breathing, to the crackles of the fire. When Leon gently rubs your back, you wonder again how he feels.

The staring, the offering of his clothes, the cuddling, everything seems to be lining up. Maybe now is a good time as any to ask Leon what you both are, or even what you could be once the Butterfree migration is over.

“Leon?” you say quietly.

“Hm?”

“Do you…” you start. “Do you think we’ll be friends after this?”

Leon raises his head, and you set your chin on his chest to look into his eyes.

“Of course,” he says. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I dunno,” you say. “The world out there seems so different than the world in here.”

Leon breathes in deeply, and the sound harmonizes with the light rain outside.

“That’s true,” he says. “We’ll keep in touch, though. I’ll always want to know how you’re doing.”

“Maybe I can come visit,” you say with a small smile.

“No.”

The word cuts into you like an icicle – cold, hard, sharp, then trickles through you like chilling water. The body you were so easily melted against has tensed, and suddenly you feel the chill of the outside rain. You lift your head and set yourself up on your elbows to see him clearly.

“…What?” you whisper.

He’s not meeting your eye, and he’s moved his hand from your back.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t want you to,” Leon says quietly. “I just… you wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

Your brow furrows, and you suddenly don’t want to be close to him, you don’t want to be close to those cold words. You sit up and the blanket falls from your shoulders, and Leon follows suit.

“What?” you repeat.

“I don’t want you in that environment, is what I meant,” Leon says as he finally meets your eye. “You shouldn’t have to deal with the politics of everything I deal with.”

“You… you think I can’t keep up?” you repeat.

“And my…” Leon says. He looks away again. “I have people who… who look up to me. They might not appreciate someone like you in the picture.”

“’Someone like you’?” you repeat.

That cold water that’s dribbling through you is quickly sharpening, is pricking angrily in your skin.

“You have a girlfriend, don’t you?” you whisper.

“No, that’s not it,” Leon says. “It’s just that my fa-”

“You’ve been using me,” you whisper. “This whole time. I knew it.”

“No, that’s not true,” Leon says again.

You’ve settled yourself at the other end of the cot and you’ve curled both Growlithe and Minccino into your lap, as if their presence could act as a blockade from the words Leon is speaking.

“Then what do you mean, Leon?”

His eyes scan yours, he opens his mouth, but no sounds come out. Then, his brow furrows.

“And like you haven’t been using me?” he retorts. The warm gold of his eyes is now glinting like cold steel. “Just like everybody else? Wanting my body, my affirmation, my advice?”

“What are you talking about?” you spit.

“You touch me,” Leon says. “In ways that everyone else tries, but I don’t let them. You’re just as hungry for affection as I am, you’re using me just as much as I’m using you.”

“So you are using me!” you retort. “Arceus, Leon, for how long? This whole time? I was just a plaything to you?”

“And I was just some tool to _you?”_ he spits. “Something to gain any sort of experience from because you can’t manage to catch more than one Pokémon without help? Let alone win any battles?”

_Let alone win any battles_

_Let alone win any battles_

_Let alone win any battles_

Oh.

Ouch.

At least you don’t get lost for months on end.

At least you don’t battle three Onix at once.

At least you don’t

At least you don’t

At least you

At least

Your scathing rebuttals die in your throat.

“Wait, I shouldn’t have said that,” Leon quickly says as he reaches for you. You slap his hand away.

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have,” you say.

“I-I’m just,” Leon says desperately. “I’m not good enough yet either, I can hardly fight off a Frillish by myself, and your Minccino-”

“And now you’re saying I’m not good enough?” you spit. “Thanks, Leon, thanks for using that against me.”

“Please, wait, don’t leave,” Leon whispers. You ignore how pitiful he sounds, how desperate, as you pull your shoes on, as you rip his hoodie off and throw it at him, as you pick up your bag, sling it over your shoulders, and walk straight into the rain.

Fury sears through you when you feel a tug on your wrist.

“Don’t _touch_ me,” you spit as you pry his fingers off. “Don’t _look_ at me, don’t _talk_ to me, and don’t _think_ about me. Good luck finding your way out of here alone.”

“I care about you, more than I even understand,” Leon whispers. “I don’t want you to get hurt if people find out-”

“Shut up,” you spit. “Go tell that to your girlfriend, to your boss, go lie to someone else’s face.”

Leon whispers your name. It tugs at your heart, how he’s looking at you, and your nails dig into your palm.

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” he says quietly.

You whip your head back to him.

“You said if your friends left you for failing,” Leon says. “Then they weren’t really your friends.”

“I will drop you off at the nearest Watt trading station,” you say. “Because I’m not a heartless monster who will leave you here to wander. But, after that, you will never see me again.”

His brow furrows again.

“And you’re calling me a liar.”

“I’ll be back later,” you say as you turn again. “Don’t follow me.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

You grind your teeth as you turn, and Growlithe and Minccino glance between you and Leon as you storm away. Minccino quickly follows suit and climbs up to your shoulder, but Growlithe isn’t at your heel.

“Growlithe, come,” you say.

He’s looking between you and Leon, his eyes are wide, and he lets out a whimper.

“Growlithe,” you say, though it’s less of his name than it is a warning. He pulls himself from his spot beside Leon and follows you out into the rain.

You wish you hadn’t heard Leon’s pathetic whisper.

“Be safe…”

This… this emotional whiplash. It’s cutting into your heart, squashing your hope every time. You thought you could be in love with him? Or rather, you thought he could love you in return? How embarrassing. How stupid. How hopeless and ugly.

He probably has a girlfriend. He’s probably got that Sonia girl, or some slew of women that he messes around with. He was just using you like some temporary plaything. His cryptic denials and suspicious rerouting; how could you be so stupid to ignore those things? You were too distracted by his smile, too distracted by his hands, that you blinded yourself to the fact that you don’t know who Leon is.

You stomp through the dirt, push off the tears and the drizzle of rain that’s layering over your face. You’re not sure where you’re walking, you’re not sure where you’re going, but your only goal is to get away from Leon. The rain cools your fury as you walk, morphs it into something somber, something melancholy, as your feet crunch along the dirt path. You pause and take in your surroundings. You look to the left, to the right, and when you turn around, there’s a man standing in front of you.

You yell out in shock, and both Growlithe and Minccino’s fur is standing on end.

“Good afternoon,” the man says.

You whip your head around. You heard no crunch of footsteps, no rustle of grass to warn you of his appearance.

“Geez, you scared me,” you say. “Good afternoon to you too.”

His smile pulls a centimeter too long across his wrinkled face, and it seems he has one too many teeth in each row. Your skin prickles when he chuckles, because suddenly the birds have stopped chirping.

“Out for a walk, are we?” the man says.

“Yes,” you say with a nod. His gaze hasn’t strayed from your eyes until they drag down your frame. You see the flash of pink when his tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip.

“Are you running away?” he asks.

“Excuse me?”

“I can see it in your posture,” he says, and his voice is an octave quieter than it was before. It seems to rustle with the leaves around you, seems to chill your bones just as the approaching storm does. “Ol’ Murray can always tell those sorts of things.”

…Murray. Where have you heard that name before?

You’re not sure what to say, so you don’t say anything. Murray is staring into your eyes again, and you realize he hasn’t blinked since you first saw him. Nor has he moved any bit of his body that wasn’t his eyes or his mouth.

“What are you running from?” he asks. “From somebody? From something? From yourself?”

“I’m enjoying a walk,” you say quickly.

“In the rain?”

“I find it soothing,” you say. Growlithe barks a few times, Murray’s eyes flick to him, and his smile pulls another centimeter longer.

“As do I,” he says quietly, though it’s almost a purr. You adjust your leg so Growlithe is behind you. “What’s your name? You must have a beautiful name to go with such a beautiful face?”

You chew the inside of your cheek.

“Miss…?” he asks as he raises an eyebrow.

Growlithe lets out a bark, but Murray doesn’t flinch.

“Bit shy, are we?” he chuckles. “Don’t want to share your name with ol’ Murray? There is quite a bit of vulnerability in sharing your name, you know. That’s why I collect names, just as I collect wares.”

Wares? Revelation dawns, and your memory flicks back to when you met Gramma Tut. Leon mentioning Murray as a traveling merchant and Gramma Tut mentioning…

That revelation turns sour and makes your stomach curl.

…Mentioning not to meet him without Leon there too.

“Are you out here alone?” he asks quietly.

“No.”

He chuckles again, and Growlithe’s fur bristles higher.

“Not shy about answering that one, eh? Have a companion? A boyfriend? A lover? Or perhaps all three? Someone like you easily could.”

As he says this, his eyes hungrily trail down your frame again, and you instinctively cross your arms over your chest. He’s not trying very hard to be subtle, because his beady eyes stare into yours again.

“Aren’t you that traveling merchant?” you ask. Not that you’d particularly enjoy trading anything with this man, but you and Leon are slowly running out of food.

“Perhaps,” he says, and his smile pulls longer so the wrinkles on his face seem to double.

“Look,” you say with a huff. “I need to know what you’re selling.”

“And I need to know what you’re willing to pay,” he whispers.

“Do you have stock?” you push again. “Tell me what you’re selling, and I’ll go get the money to pay for it.”

“You don’t have it now?” he asks.

You purse your lips.

“No money, eh…?” Murray says, though it’s almost a purr that slides from his lips. “Tsk tsk, we can’t have that, I’m afraid.”

Minccino’s faint growl is rumbling against your ear.

“If you can’t pay for your wares, I’m open to trading,” Murray says. His tongue darts from his mouth to slide over his dried bottom lip, and his eyes trail down your frame again. “Perhaps trading my goods for your… services.”

You hear your name called in the distance, and you whip around. Murray whispers your name, and it seems to suck the warmth out of you.

“There you are,” Leon says as he jogs up to you.

“What do you want?” you spit. “I told you not to follow me.”

“I know, but I didn’t want you wandering alone in the woods,” he says. “Who knows what kind of people are out here.”

You turn to Murray, only for your heart to drop when he’s nowhere to be seen. The birds are chirping again, and it seems the air is a bit warmer now, too. Growlithe is rubbing his face against Leon’s leg, and his fur is no longer standing on end.

“Please, can we talk about it?” Leon says. “I didn’t mean to hurt you,”

Your eyes scan through the drizzle to each tree, to each shrub, to the little dirt path you were following. Minccino’s eyes dart around just as yours do, and her reaction makes you think that you didn’t imagine the strange interaction.

Where did he go?

Leon whispers your name, and you turn back to him.

“Leon,” you sigh. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now. I don’t really want to be around you right now.”

“I, yeah, okay,” he says dejectedly. “Will you stay close though? Or at least take Charizard in case you get lost? I’ll stay at the camp.”

“Fine,” you say, and you take Charizard’s Poké Ball. Growlithe leads Leon back to the camp, while you and Minccino head towards the lake.

You sit in the sand and let the cool breeze wash over you, just as cool as how the water laps at your feet. Minccino isn’t too keen on getting her fur dirty, so she stays on your shoulder. As you gaze over the gray blue lake, your somber sigh swirls into the air as you sadly accept one truth:

You don’t know Leon. You don’t know who he is, or what he’s capable of. You don’t know that stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was…. time for some angst…. I hope you all liked this chapter too, I'm not as happy with it as I have been with some of the other ones 😅 I'm always open to (kind) constructive criticism to improve my writing, so don't hold back if you have advice!!
> 
> ALSO I’m prepping to go back to school for the fall, so updates may not be as quick as they have been/they may be more sporadic, thanks for understanding!


	9. Chapter 9

You’ve been skipping rocks over Lake Miloch for the past hour. There’s something satisfying when they hit, something satisfying when they rebound and ripple against the surface of the water. One little stone can break apart the calm – one little stone can disrupt the plan the waves had to gently lap at the shore.

At first you had just been hurling stones into the lake, but when your shoulder tweaked after whipping one that was too heavy, you settled for skipping smaller stones instead. Charizard tried throwing one, it plopped into the water, then he shrugged and didn’t try again.

Minccino darts up to hand you another flat stone, then continues her search for more along the shore. You skip that one too, but you don’t beat your record of six skips. She runs up and hands you another, and you make it to four skips.

You had already cycled through Leon’s words and your responses a thousand times, and you don’t feel like repeating ‘not good enough’ yet again, so you settle on not thinking any deeper than how the stones feel in your hands, or how the sounds of them skipping on the water skip in your head. Minccino hands you another stone, you skip it, though it only skips twice, and you exhale deeply. Charizard exhales when you do, then gently bumps your shoulder with his snout.

“What?” you ask. Your response isn’t sharp, isn’t cutting, and it’s just as gentle and sad as the broken waves when you toss another rock.

He bumps your shoulder again, and you turn to meet his gaze.

“What, Charizard?” you repeat. He stares into your eyes, and you turn away. “I don’t want to go back yet.”

You skip a few more stones, but when your arm twinges again, you gesture for Minccino to come up to you. You give her a hug and rest your chin on the top of her head, just as if she were one of your old stuffed animals that lined your bed when you were a child.

“He really hurt me, Charizard,” you say quietly into Minccino’s fur. You give her a kiss on the top of her head, as if such a loving motion will dry the tears blurring your vision, then you set her back on the sand.

Charizard bumps your shoulder again, then pushes his nose under your arm. You pat his head, and affectionately rub up and down his neck.

“Why’d he say those things?” you sigh. “I thought he liked me.”

Charizard sighs too, grumbles something, and you wished you could speak Pokémon.

“Guess I’m not good enough for _the_ Leon.”

Charizard pushes his nose into your side, and that spurs an involuntary giggle from you. He’s repeatedly poking his nose at your stomach and you laugh when you try to push him away.

“Okay okay, I get it,”

He snorts and stares into your eyes.

“Fine,” you say as you pat him on the head. You leave your arm slung over his neck as you gaze at the water again. “I take it back, I am good enough. But then why did he say he didn’t want me around him if he didn’t mean it?”

You watch as Minccino tries skipping a rock. It skips twice and you give her a thumbs up at her successful skip. After a few moments, you sigh again.

“He always says things well,” you say quietly, and Charizard’s snort startles you. You chuckle when he turns to raise an eyebrow at you. “Okay maybe he’s not always the most graceful with his words, but he’s always sincere. That’s why I just… I don’t want to get my hopes up again.”

Charizard nuzzles his head against you again. The three of you watch the waves for a while, let the cooling sound wash over you, and you finally sigh again when dusk starts darkening the lake and sky. It’s getting a little chilly too, even with Charizard standing beside you, so you finally gather up your bag and Minccino and head back to camp.

Tension builds within you every step you take. What will you and Leon say to each other? How will you travel together to the Giant’s Seat when he obviously doesn’t want to be around you any time after that? Perhaps you really should just drop him off at the next Watt trading station.

You don’t have to say anything to each other, because Leon and Growlithe are off somewhere when you reach the cave again. He lied about that too – he said he’d stay at the camp, and he’s nowhere to be seen. You don’t bother to wait for him, and instead take a bit of food from your rations, leave Charizard in the cave, and you and Minccino set up your tent down the hill. It’s not close enough that you’ll hear each other, but it’ll be enough for Leon to see and understand where you are and that you still don’t want to talk to him.

Darkness falls further, so you click on the little lantern you have and the warm glow envelopes the tent. It feels too big for just you, but perhaps it won’t be so bad when Growlithe is back. You pet Minccino, map your next route for a bit, and it isn’t until nighttime that you hear the crunch of footsteps and the pat of paws coming up the dirt path. The sounds pause, Growlithe yips, but you don’t hear anything beyond that until there’s the scratch of claws at the tent flap. You open it, Growlithe comes in, and you don’t risk leaving the flap open as an invitation for conversation.

It’s another few seconds before the sound of footsteps start up again.

Night falls further and you curl into your sleeping bag. You’re on the brink of sleep, only to groggily open your eyes when Growlithe lets out a deep growl. There’s a shadow hovering outside your tent, but the next time you blink, it’s gone.

Shivers rack your body the entire night, and you wake after an unpleasant, damp, and cold night. You wonder if you should have swallowed your pride and slept in the cave where it was warm and dry.

You feed Growlithe and Minccino, feed yourself, then tear down your tent and pack up your bag. You’ve left some of your clothes in the cave, and as you go to collect them, a conversation with Leon is quickly looming. Is the silent treatment too immature? Maybe he’ll initiate conversation, and you can decide then. You step into the cave, Leon glances up, then his posture tenses. He stares at you for a moment.

“Hi,” he says.

That was innocent enough, you let yourself respond.

“Hi.”

“Breakfast is ready,” he says quietly.

“I already ate,” you say as you step past him.

“Do you want coffee?”

“No. We should get going soon.”

“Yeah, sure,” he says.

You feel his eyes following you as you pick up your belongings. Even when you glance back at him, he stares for a second, then shifts his eyes back to the fire. You turn your head, just to see in your periphery that he’s back to looking at you.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says. “You’re just, I, um…”

You wait for him to finish his sentence.

“Nothing,” he says again as he turns back to the fire, and you turn back to collecting your belongings.

‘You’re just’ what, you wonder. You’re just doing something wrong? You’re just being mean by being so short with your responses? You’re just not good enough for him?

The morning passes in silence as you and Leon pack up for the next part of your journey. You never step too close to him, and he never steps too close to you, though you catch him watching you a few times. You wish he wouldn’t stare so much; it’s not so endearing now that you know he only wanted you for your body and the affection you offered. To think it was only yesterday he had pressed such a gentle kiss to your cheek.

You leave the cave in the late morning and Leon wordlessly shadows you as you follow the trail you mapped last night. You’re walking down it in silence for a few hours, passing ponds and thickets that you once would have found beautiful. They seem a little gray now as Leon doesn’t walk beside you, but a few feet behind you.

“Surprised you didn’t leave last night,” Leon says suddenly. “Half of me thought you’d be gone by the morning.”

Anger pricks in your throat at the accusation.

“Yeah well I told you I’d take you to the trading station,” you retort. “Didn’t lie about that.”

“That’s why I was surprised.”

You stop in your tracks and turn to him.

“ _I’m_ not a liar,” you say. “Everything I’ve told you is true. If you want to believe me or not that’s your problem.”

“Are you saying _I’m_ a liar?” Leon asks. His voice is cutting, but you don’t humor him with a response. “At least I didn’t rush into the Wild Area without training beforehand.”

You do dignify _that_ with a response. If he’s trying to get a rise out of you, it’s working.

“That was so unnecessary,” you spit. “Why did you say that? What do you want? You want a reaction? You want me to apologize for getting attacked by Bewear? How about you apologize for almost drowning?”

“Just say what you really mean,” Leon sneers.

“I am,” you spit in return.

“Tell me I’m not perfect, tell me I need to do better, go on,” Leon says as he waves a hand at you. The gesture makes your insides boil.

“Fine, you need to do better,” you say.

Leon’s golden eyes are glowering, but you aren’t backing down. You can see in your periphery Charizard starting to tense.

“Why are you still here,” Leon growls. “Didn’t you get what you wanted? You got my help, you got my body, you got my attention, what more is there?”

Your brow furrows too.

“What?”

“You’re going to leave, just like you said,” he spits. “Just like everyone else when they find out I’m not perfect.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll never be enough for you,” Leon barks. “I’m never what people expect when they really get to know me. I’m just going to disappoint you again, so may as well leave while you still can.”

“Get over yourself,” you spit in return. “I know you’re not perfect and I’ve stayed with you this long. You want me to tell you you’re not worth knowing? I already told you I’m not going to lie to you.”

Leon’s scowl softens for half a second, though you’re not quite sure since he turns away.

“Stop,” he says. “Stop lying to me."

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not-”

“Shut up!” Leon barks as he spins around. “I’m never going to be enough for you, okay? I’m not the perfect man everyone thinks I am.”

“Don’t tell me to shut up,” you hiss. “I never said you were perfect, I never expected you to be perfect. You’ve got as many flaws as I do, that’s what makes you human.”

Leon’s shoulders are tensing and he’s clenching his fists. You don’t expect him to physically lash out, but you unconsciously take inventory of where Growlithe and Minccino are.

“Look,” you say as you pinch the bridge of your nose. “I don’t know what you want me to say, but I’m not going to say I think you’re perfect, nor do I want you to be perfect. I think you have a terrible sense of direction, I think you act before you think, and I don’t think you take the time to self-reflect on who you are and what you want. But, those are some of the things that make you you, and I’m not going to leave you because of them.”

If you had blinked, you would have missed how his scowl softened for a split second.

“But you said-”

“I know,” you sigh. “I know what I said. If I leave, it’s because you said terrible things to me that made _me_ feel like I’d never be good enough for you, not because I think you should be perfect.”

Leon’s gaze is impassive, unmoving.

“You need to figure out what you want,” you say. “And who you are, and who you want to be.”

“Well aren’t you so wise and noble,” he spits as he shoves past you. “We need to keep moving before it gets dark.”

Your walk is silent, tense, and you travel for two days with barely a word spoken between you. Even when you set up your tent, Leon sets up his cot outside and away from you. The only time you wonder if he still cared at all is when he silently offered you his sweater the third morning. You stubbornly refused.

This section of your journey is taking longer than you thought. You wonder how recent your map was updated, because Lake Miloch is bigger than you thought. When it’s time to stop following the shoreline, the path you take has dozens of unlisted hills and lakes and ponds to go around that add hours to your travel. You do your best at foraging, but you and Leon need to start rationing food if you want it to last by the time you make it to the next Watt trading station. You’re a little worried (though you won’t let it show), because it’s still almost a week’s travel to get there, not including time to stop and train with your Pokémon.

You haven’t traveled this long without taking a break either, but you’d rather have your feet fall off than complain. Trekking through the wilderness for this long has significantly increased your stamina and has built some muscle you’ve never had, but that doesn’t mean your body has fully acclimated to such constant and demanding exercise. Your mental and emotional health aren’t exactly prospering either, because your only conversation partner barely even looks at you anymore.

During the fifth day of straight travel, you perk up when you see a small worn and wooden sign at a crossroads.

 _‘Mudsdale Ranch’_ it reads. _‘Wild Area travelers are welcome to rest and refuel here.’_

You gesture towards it, Leon nods, and you start down the path the wooden arrow points. You wonder if he’s as tired as you are, because if he is, he’s not letting it show either. You reach what must be the entrance to the ranch, and you push the old wooden fence. It creaks, then rattles when you close it behind you.

“Maybe you can send a letter to Hop and your mum,” you say. You’re almost startled by your own voice – you haven’t spoken to him in days. Leon nods, and you wonder if he even likes being around you anymore.

Your shoes crunch up the dirt path as you walk, though you have to be careful you don’t roll your ankle in the carriage and tractor tracks. You gaze over the wooden fencing beside you. There’s a small stream right beside it, though it almost looks like it was forcefully carved out of the ground instead of naturally appearing, as it’s hardly any wider than you are tall and the soil of the banks seem like it’s been upturned recently. You look beyond the strange man-made stream into the fields. There are Mudsdales speckled throughout, and their bright orange manes contrast with the gentle light green of the pastures. There’s a few Dubwool speckled about as well, though there aren’t as many as there are Mudsdale. You smile when you see a baby Wooloo rolling to keep up with its mother, only to roll right into a hay bale.

As you walk you notice a little garden where Cutiflies buzz about. There’s even a Ribombee, and you stop yourself from pointing it out to Leon.

You do nearly roll your ankle when a Diglett pops up, only to pop its head back into the ground. You trip, but Leon quickly grips your arm to keep you from falling.

“Thanks,” you mutter. He doesn’t respond.

A faded green farmhouse sits humbly at the end of the path, where orange and red-flowered trees frame the weathered wood. The small stream beside you empties out into a pond behind the house, where a small dock sits. When you glance back to the farmhouse, you can vaguely see the outline of a Drampa sleeping on the porch. As you get closer, you see a Togekiss and a man sitting in a rocking chair. The man isn’t ancient, but he’s just as rustic and weathered as the farmhouse is. He has a few wisps of mousy brown hair tied into a ponytail, and a scratchy graying beard to match. He glances up from his book when you and Leon step up the path. A few Dedenne scurry around your feet, then under the porch.

“Evenin,’” the man says quietly as he stands from his rocker. The wood scuffs against the porch as he steps down the three worn steps to meet you. “How may I help you two?”

“We saw your sign,” you say as you gesture behind you. “We could really use a place to stay tonight, if there’s any available.”

“Course, course,” the man says with a smile. “Always available, and if there wasn’t, we’d make room for you. The Wild Area can get dangerous, and we’re happy to host any and all travelers. We’re lucky to be set up where we are.”

The tension in your shoulders ease as the man nods a greeting to Growlithe and Minccino, and again as the Togekiss bumps noses with them. You watch the man slowly greet them both, and you notice his leg is wrapped in a bandage. Perhaps that’s why he was so slow to come greet you. Your eyes slowly trail up his frame, taking in the soft rolls and the bit of his belly that pokes out from under his shirt. His smile reminds you a bit of homemade soup, of warm family holidays, of your grandpa telling you bedtime stories. Leon introduces himself and you, and the man offers you a handshake and a ‘how do you do.’

“Leon,” the man repeats as he squints. Well, you think it’s a squint, though it’s hard to see his eyes because of his chubby cheeks. “Now where have I heard that name…?”

“I-it’s a common name,” Leon says quickly as he scratches behind his neck.

“No, it’s something else…” he says again as he leans closer to Leon. He slowly leans back. “Ah, that’s right. My wife mentioned you. Well, you’re safe here, and your secret is safe with us.”

Leon’s brows pull together, as do yours.

“She should be home any moment, I believe,” he continues. “She was right fond of you two, I’m sure she’ll be pleased as pudding to see you again.”

Something glimmers in his eyes when he mentions his wife, and it makes your heart melt. It’s as warm as the hearth you see burning in the window. You had met only a few people like him – people who were meant to fall in love. You wonder what it feels like to be so devoted to someone and have someone so devoted to you. You don’t feel like wondering about it long, especially when you flinch when the back of Leon’s hand grazes yours. The man’s gaze moves behind you, and you and Leon turn to follow it.

“Ah,” he sighs, though it’s nearly a swoon. The Togekiss squeaks in excitement. “Here she is.”

You hear a faint cackle in the distance, and you and Leon whip your heads to one another. You’ve heard that cackle before. You barely have a second to process before you turn again to see the shadow of a boat flying through the air and two Sharpedo hurtling above you. The Sharpedo make it into the pond with a monumental splash that douses all three of you, though the boat catches on the dock and catapults everything forward.

“My love,” he sighs.

“Hi honey!” you hear from the water.

There is Gramma Tut, pulling herself away from her snuggling Sharpedo as she steps onto the bank. She trips into the strangely carved river that ran beside the dirt path.

“You’re… you’re married to Gramma Tut, sir?” Leon asks incredulously.

The man waves him off.

“Please, no sirs around here,” he says with a chuckle. “Left that back in town. Call me Papa Put.”

Gramma Tut meets Papa Put on the road, gives him a kiss, and you try to keep your jaw from dropping when you see a bit of tongue. She steps up to Leon next, and you sincerely hope you do not see any tongue again. She pats him on the cheek, pats you on the cheek, pats Togekiss on the head, and sets her hands on her hips. You both seem to let out a sigh of relief.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” she says with a nod. “Glad to see you two again, glad to see you’re still together.”

Your shoulders tense, as does Leon beside you.

“Oh shit, nah, huh?” Gramma Tut says as her eyes flick between you both. “Lover’s spat?”

You cross your arms and raise your chin, as if your dignified posture will prove that statement wrong and immature. Gramma Tut nods and waves at hand at you.

“You’ll get over it. And let me tell ya, nothing brings a man and woman together better than good, ol’ fashioned, steamy make up se-”

Her sentence is interrupted when Papa Put lets out a hearty sneeze.

“Oh, bless you, honey,” she says as she pats his chest. Papa Put nods in gratitude. “Anyway, feel free to let out your frustrations in the hay out back. That’s what we usually to do.”

If you weren’t blushing before, you definitely are now. Leon chokes on his spit.

“If you get this big boy in a bale of hay, _watch_ out,” Gramma Tut says as she pats Papa Put’s chest again. You clap your hand to your mouth, and Leon is still coughing.

“Guilty as charged,” Papa Put says with a gentle chuckle. Leon coughs again and you pound against his back. “Now, why don’t we set you up inside? Our grandson can put your Pokémon in the stables, they’ll be quite comfortable.”

“Thank you,” Leon says through his coughs.

Gramma Tut goes to feed her Sharpedos for the night and inform their grandson that they’ve got visitors. You leave your Pokémon in her care, and Dreepy happily curls himself over the perfect circle of her bald spot.

As you follow Papa Put into the farmhouse, you quickly realize that you will never be able to look at a bale of hay the same again. You also hope you won’t come in contact with any of the hay on this ranch. Something in you wonders if Leon is thinking the same thing, because when his hand brushes yours again, it’s like a bolt of lightning strikes. You shake out the thought in favor of listening to Papa Put.

He chats with you about the history of the Mudsdale ranch – it’s been in his family for generations. He offers you some tea, and you and Leon sit at a worn table as you chat. It feels good to get off your feet.

“We’re in just the right spot in the Wild Area,” Papa Put says. “Being a few days out from the next trading station. I do hope we can be a comfort to you both.”

“And I do hope you both can get a shower in,” you hear Gramma Tut say as she steps inside. The screen door creaks on its hinges when she closes it. “I can smell you both worse than the Mudsdale manure.”

“Feel free to wash up,” Papa Put says with a gentle smile. “I’ll start supper. Tut, love, will you show them upstairs?”

“You got it babe,” Gramma Tut says with a hearty nod. “C’mon folks, I’ll give you the grand tour.”

The grand tour consists of the kitchen slash front room slash dining room you walked into, a little living room, a staircase, and a handful of bedrooms on the upper floor. Every floorboard and door creaks, but the sounds fit perfectly with the farmhouse – you’d almost be less comfortable here if they didn’t.

“Bathroom’s right over there,” Gramma Tut says as she gestures towards a door. “Feel free to shower together if you wanna save us some money on the water bill.”

You and Leon quickly glance at each other, then quickly away, and you’re sure both of your cheeks are tingeing redder as each second passes. You have to shove out a few embarrassing mental images before Gramma Tut chuckles again.

“Holy smokes, you two are too easy to tease,” she says. “We’ve got well water, I ain’t payin’ no one for what I can get for free. Hop in when you want, if you want, you don’t smell as bad as Mudsdale manure. Nothing smells as bad as Mudsdale manure, ‘cept maybe that infection I had down under a couple years ago.”

Gramma Tut shows you both to the rooms you’ll be staying in – they’re both quite spacious, one is painted a grass green, and the other is a deep pink, and they both have worn and mismatched furniture in each. You wonder if they used to belong to Gramma Tut and Papa Put’s kids or grandkids.

Gramma Tut heads back downstairs, and without a word to you, Leon uses the shower first. You’re content to set yourself up in the pink room. It has a window that overlooks the expanse of farmland that they own, and you look out to see that the fields seem to sprawl until forever, only to stop at the mountain ridges on the horizon. The window is already open a crack, so the curtains flutter as you breathe in the fresh air from outside. Mudsdale dot the light green fields, and you watch as a man drives a Mudsdale cart up the dirt path. You wonder if that’s the grandson Papa Put mentioned.

You sit and gaze out the window for a while until you hear the shower squeak off, then the bathroom door rattling out in the hallway. You wait a few minutes, and when you hear Leon’s footsteps tapping down the staircase, you try to swallow your anger at the fact that he couldn’t be bothered to let you know it was your turn.

After a quick shower (and after a few minutes of trying to figure out how the shower knobs worked), you’re refreshed with your hair brushed and in a fresh(ish) set of clothes. Each step creaks when you go down them, and you step back into the front room slash kitchen slash dining room. There’s already an impressive spread on the table, and the scent of supper makes your mouth water. Papa Put seems to be putting the finishing touches on the meal, and you need to keep yourself from drooling. You haven’t had such a hearty and delicious meal in forever – probably not since the Watt trading station in the West Lake Axewell.

It does appear, however, that you’re expected to sit in the open seat next to Leon. You don’t want to be rude and take what’s probably Papa Put’s spot, nor do you want to risk more teasing from Gramma Tut, so you slide onto the bench beside Leon. He doesn’t greet you, and you don’t greet him.

Gramma Tut asks you both how your traveling and training has been going since you last escaped ‘the fuzz’ at the Watt trading station, and you have a surprisingly normal conversation with her. Papa Put chimes in every so often, though he’s preoccupied with adding to the delicious smells of supper while he cooks. You explain that you’re headed to the Watt trading station at the edge of the Giant’s Seat, but your sentence falters when you say you were going to go to the Butterfree migration. You wonder if Leon will still go to the migration if you won’t be going with him.

“The trading station, eh?” Gramma Tut asks. You’re not sure if she could feel the tension in you, or if it was just a natural shift in the conversation, but either way you’re glad you don’t have to explain why you and Leon may be separating soon. “We can take you.”

“You can?” you ask. She nods.

“Sure thing. Gotta make it up to you both for taking you to the wrong side of Lake Axewell.”

Your brow pulls together, and your next sentence is hardly audible.

“Did you… you knew you did that?”

“Oh, and here’s our grandson,” Papa Put says. You’re not sure, but you think Gramma Tut just winked at you.

The door opens, and suddenly it’s your turn to choke on your spit.

The man that walks in is dense, toned, with striking green eyes and a dazzling smile. You thought it was dark out by now, but it seems the very sun is shining behind him as he steps into the room. He shakes his hair out and little droplets of sweat fall like glass stars, gleaming and glinting around him. Your eyes trail down his frame, and his bare chest and shoulders shine as if the sun were made only to glow on him. He makes eye contact with you, and your heart skips a beat.

“Hi,” he says.

You had never before heard such a beautiful greeting. His voice is like melted butter, just like the melted butter that you’ve accidentally set your hand in. You wonder where he gets his genes from, because Gramma Tut and Papa Put certainly didn’t make you squirm in your seat. Leon removes your hand from the butter to spread some on his biscuit, only to jump back when the man exclaims a greeting.

“Leon?!” he shouts. “You’re alive?!”

Leon glances up, then his butter knife clatters to the ground.

“ _Milo?!”_

This grandson, apparently named Milo, is quickly stepping over to Leon, and they meet in the middle of the room. They wrap their arms around each other, and Milo leans back to set his hands on Leon’s shoulders.

“My word, it’s so good to see you!” he exclaims. “Everyone’s been worried sick about you!”

Leon’s eyes flick to you, then back to Milo. Even though you’re staring at Milo’s massive biceps, you can faintly see Leon in your periphery discreetly shaking his head.

“I can’t believe it, everyone will be so excited,” Milo continues as he claps Leon on the shoulder. “They’re only a couple weeks away from setting someone else up as-”

Milo’s sentence is interrupted when Gramma Tut hurls a serving bowl at the stove, which then bursts into flames.

“Ah shit, clumsy me,” she says as she waddles over to splash her water glass at the growing fire.

“Milo,” Papa Put says gently as he fluidly steps around Gramma Tut to finish putting the food on the table. “Remember what we’ve discussed about minding traveler’s personal lives. They can be whomever they want out here, and we’ll treat ‘em just the same. Leon isn’t the only one here, either.”

Milo’s eyes flick to Papa Put, to Leon, then to you, and another smile appears.

“Yes, right, where are my manners?” he says as he steps over to you. “Forgive me, miss, but Leon and I are good friends, old friends. We used to train together ages ago and I was overcome with joy to see him again.”

You nod, and vehemently stare into his eyes and not his glistening pectorals.

“I didn’t mean to get so worked up,” he continues. Your eyes do flick to the stove when Gramma Tut swears again. Milo doesn’t seem to be bothered by it. “Where are you from? Are you a Pokémon trainer as well?”

“Um, I, uh,” you stutter. “Yinda. Er, Yes. Kinda. I mean yes I am.”

Milo chuckles, and the sound is like birdsong in your ears.

“You’re awfully brave to be out in the Wild Area,” he says kindly. “I’d love to hear any stories about your travels.”

You nod and continue not staring at his muscles, and you manage to squeak your name out when he shakes your hand. When he steps to the side, you get a brief glimpse of Leon’s furrowed brow, and his gaze flicking between you and Milo.

“Milo go put a shirt on before that girl explodes,” Gramma Tut calls as she splashes water on the now-flaming curtains.

“Yes Gramma,” he says with a good-natured smile. “Pardon my indecency, miss, I figured it wouldn’t be too sanitary to come in with Mudsdale manure on my shirt.”

You don’t mind much. The birds are chirping, there are Cutieflies glistening beside his head, and you can faintly hear the song of a Roselia and Jigglypuff in the distance. Leon swats one of the Cutieflies away when it buzzes in his face.

“If you’ll pardon me,” Milo says. His voice seems to rumble through your body – the lower half of your body, especially. “I’ll get myself cleaned up, then I’ll join you all for supper.”

Your eyes follow him as he starts towards the stairs, and you take in the lines of sweat that are beading between the muscles on his back. Freckles dot his skin, and you wonder just how far down his freckles go. You stop wondering when Leon sits beside you again, clears his throat, then mutters your name, then finally jabs his elbow into your ribs.

“Huh? What?” you splutter. “He seems nice.”

Leon is glaring at you, his daggered gaze flicks to the staircase, and something shifts in his eyes. Papa Put is chuckling lightly, whereas Gramma Tut barks out a laugh. She finally got the small inferno under control and has angled a fan to blow the smoke out the window. You wonder how often that happens.

“Quite a looker, eh?” Gramma Tut says with a crooked grin. You nod unconsciously. “There’s enough hay for all of you, if you’re into that.”

Leon’s drink shoots out his nose, and you nod unconsciously again.

“He has a good heart, that boy,” Papa Put says softly. “I do hope you all can become friends. He’ll be the one guiding you both to the edge of the Giant’s Seat.”

You and Leon both cough out a response.

_“What?!”_

Yours seems a little more excited than Leon’s, though.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Papa Put says. “My leg here hasn’t been working proper lately, so he’ll be the one to take you both. We’ve got some stock to drop off at the Giant’s Seat Watt trading station, and he’s more fit for travel right now than me.”

That’s fair, he is quite fit.

“Wh-what about Gramma Tut?” Leon splutters out as he whips his head to her. “It’d be great to spend some more time with you.”

“Oh, I’m banned from most of the trading stations, and I’m actually supposed to be on house arrest right now,” she says as she thunks her foot on the table to showcase a blinking ankle monitor. “Milo is more than capable of taking ya both. You two can catch up on your lives, eh, sweet cheeks?”

Leon’s eyes barely squint, but Gramma Tut continues.

“And it seems like our lil’ missy here wouldn’t mind his company much, huh?”

You were staring at the staircase again and you whip your head back.

“Huh?” you grunt. “Oh, no, I don’t mind. The more the merrier.”

Gramma Tut chuckles and raises an eyebrow when Leon tenses again. You hear the squeak of the shower knob, and instead of imagining Milo’s freckles and muscles sopping wet from a shower, you focus on Gramma Tut’s missing tooth.

Papa Put adds the final dish to the table, and you all eagerly begin the meal. You can’t even remember the last time you ate something so fresh and delicious, or even the last time you had a home-cooked meal. It would have been the last time you were with your family, and little tears sting the back of your eyes at the thought. Maybe you can write another letter to your family too, tell them that you miss them and hope they’re doing well.

The food and drinks and conversation warm your insides, and when Gramma Tut cracks a joke, you realize you haven’t laughed in days. Milo comes down after a few minutes and sits on your other side. You’re not sure if you’re imagining it, but he seems quite interested in you and what you have to say. It’s… it’s affirming.

He asks you questions and listens intently when you answer them, and you try not to let your blush be obvious. Sure, you like how he’s looking at you, but at the same time, it’s been a while since somebody was so intent to listen to you or smile at you. His smile and his interest in your words are comforting, and you find yourself leaning towards him when he speaks too.

You don’t notice how Leon seems to grow quieter as the meal goes on.

After eating your fill, then eating a little bit more at Gramma Tut’s insistence, then even more when Papa Put brought out dessert, you figure you can probably sleep for the next three days. You haven’t eaten this much in ages, and again, your heart warms at the idea of the happy little home Gramma Tut and Papa Put have here, especially when their Togekiss flutters to give each of you a kiss on the head. It skips over Leon, though.

“You two must be exhausted,” Papa Put says gently. “Please, why don’t you get an early night’s sleep? We’ll take care of your Pokémon.”

“We can help clean up,” you say as Milo takes your dishes.

“Nonsense,” he says. You can see Papa Put’s smile in his. “You’re our guests, and like Papa said, you must be tired.”

You nod, and force back a yawn at the words. After bidding everyone goodnight, you and Leon head up the staircase. Perhaps it’s because you’ve finally eaten a good meal, or perhaps it’s because you’ve finally had affirming attention and good conversation, but your heart seems to reach out to him when he turns the knob to his room.

“Goodnight Leon,” you say softly.

He glances back. You barely raise your arms for a hug before he’s turning and closing the door in your face. You sigh. He’s making it awfully challenging to want to be his friend, but you can’t help the craving to feel his arms around you again.

“Pretty pissy, eh?” comes a voice. You turn to see Gramma Tut climbing the creaking staircase, and you shrug in response when she reaches the top. “Kinda seems like a bonehead to me, are you sure you can’t do better?”

“Probably not,” you say dejectedly. Although you’ve been working hard on being confident, having a door slammed in your face doesn’t help much. “I doubt anyone else would-"

Gramma Tut slaps the back of your head and you let out a feminine grunt.

“What was that for?!” you hiss as you rub at your now-throbbing head.

“I had to smack those thoughts right outta your head!” she says as she sets her hands on her hips. “Quit thinkin’ like that or you’ll be thinkin’ those thoughts forever!”

“What?” you ask.

“You know what,” she continues as she wags a finger at you. “I’m glad he’s being an asshat, you gotta work on you, homegirl. Smack those negative thoughts right outta your head every time they come in, because I won’t always be around to do it for ya.”

“I-I guess,” you stutter, though really you agree just so Gramma Tut doesn’t smack you again.

“C’mere,” she says as she steps into your pink room. She sits on the mattress, and pats the spot beside her. “You think you’re ugly, don’t you?”

Your brow furrows at the accusation.

“Or if you don’t, then you think cute people don’t like lookin’ at ya?”

You shift your gaze to the ground.

“You’re a cutie-pie, plain and simple, but you need to ask yourself who you’re comparing you to,” Gramma Tut continues. “Me? Sweet cheeks? Some other chick out there? Nah girl, you’ve got aspects of you that only _you_ can pull off.”

You breathe out a laugh, and Gramma Tut claps you on the shoulder.

“And every time you think you’re not good enough, then stop and think about why you’re thinkin’ that,” she says. “Who are you comparing yourself to? On what scale are you measuring your worth? Are you working hard?”

You shrug.

“You know the answer to that,” Gramma Tut says. “I’ve been married three times and I’ve got this ankle monitor throwing off my center of gravity.”

She hoists her leg up onto the bed as if to prove her statement.

“But that doesn’t stop me from tackling the world head on,” she continues. “You gotta reframe those thoughts, kiddo, each and every time. Try it all day tomorrow and you’ll see what I’m talking about. If you don’t do it, I’ll know.”

For some reason, you believe her.

“Maybe I’m wrong,” she says with a shrug. “But there’s only one you in the world, kiddo, and I know you’ve got people out there who are glad you’re here, even if sweet cheeks is too much of an idiot to tell you he’s grateful for you. I’m not saying don’t be sad, I’m just sayin’ that you need to make sure what you’re sad about is worth being sad about.”

You nod and breathe out a laugh when Gramma Tut pats your hand.

“You’re doing good, kiddo, keep it up,” she says as she stands and steps to the door. “You can never fail, because either you win, or you learn somethin’. Now imma have a word with sweet cheeks too, help him figure out how to accept love from people who care about him for who he is.”

You nod again and wave goodnight to Gramma Tut.

Gramma Tut is… an interesting person. You wonder what she was like when she was your age, you wonder what she has been through to so passionately interact with the world. You let her words swirl in your mind for a while as the night breezes in through the window. As the sounds of the soft creaks of the house resound in your ears and the curtains rustle in the wind, you finally succumb to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: survivors of sexual assault may find content in this chapter triggering! Please note that all events are safely handled/well taken-care of, and Reader/MC is not in danger of assault. I'll reiterate from chapter 1 that NO sexual assault will take place at ANY POINT in this story. Take care of yourselves, and happy reading!

The night comes and goes, though you spent most of it twisting and turning. Maybe eating so much wasn’t a great idea, since it makes you a little uncomfortable. You wish you were more refreshed as you wake, but maybe a cup of water or something will help. You slide out of bed, change your clothes, and step out into the hallway, only to freeze when Leon steps out at the same time. You open your mouth to speak, though you’re not quite sure what to say.

“Good morning,” he says quietly. Oh, you should have said that.

“Morning,” you reply.

“How did you sleep?”

You shrug, and Leon nods.

“Yeah, me too,” he says. “Look, I… I’m sorry for last night. And for everything. I overheard you and Gramma Tut talking, and I realized I was being a prick. She also came in and smacked me upside the head and told me I was being a prick.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really sorry,” he says again as he gently bows his head to you.

“Apology accepted.”

He seems surprised by how quickly you answered, and his eyes flit up to meet yours.

“…Really?”

You nod.

“I’m not going to say your words didn't hurt,” you say. “But I know we’ve been out here for a long time and you’re probably stressed and miss your family. And… I’m sorry too, though, for everything I said.”

Leon nods and takes a step towards you, only to pause when you take a step back.

“Um, yeah,” he says quietly. “Yeah I forgive you.”

“Thanks.”

“And you can come visit me, if you want,” he says, and a smile twitches up the corners of your lips. “But first you’ll have to get better at training Pokémon, I think. Maybe catch more than two.”

And your smile falls.

“And if I don’t?” you ask.

Leon tenses again.

“I just,” he starts. “I think it would be best.”

“And _I_ think it would be best if you didn’t care so much what people think of you,” you sneer. So much for that apology.

“You don’t understand,” Leon says as he crosses his arms. “I’m telling you this for your own good.”

“I don't want to be around someone like you, then,” you spit. “I don’t want to be around someone who makes me change who I am to win their approval. I had enough of that with my parents.”

Leon rubs over his face with his hands. You interrupt him when he tries to respond.

“You know what?” you continue. Your anger is searing in your throat, pulling the words out of your mouth before you have time to think. “Is this what Hop always feels like? Like he’s never good enough for his perfect older brother? I bet he’s felt freer than he ever has without you around.”

He had been glaring at you, but the second those words slide out from between your teeth, Leon’s anger melts. Your frustration is quickly replaced with regret when a glassy sheen coats his eyes.

“Why would you say that?” he whispers.

“Leon,” you say quickly as you reach towards him. “I shouldn’t have said that, that’s not-”

“You’re right,” he spits. “You shouldn’t have.”

He doesn’t shove past you, but his shoulder hits yours a little harder than you expected when he walks by. You don’t bother hiding your dejected sigh.

You follow him down the stairs and to the table, but he doesn’t seem to want to talk, especially when Milo and Papa Put greet you. There is an assortment of breakfast goods and juices and morning confections. You guiltily indulge in Papa Put’s delicious cooking, and your mood shifts when you indulge in pleasant conversation with Milo when Leon refuses to talk to you. Milo almost seems familiar too, but you’re not quite sure where you’ve seen him. Maybe he just has one of those faces.

He says you look lovely for having just woken up, and you can’t stop the smile from spreading over your lips at those sweet words. Your fuzzy insides harden when Leon mentions there’s a first time for everything. You almost want to smack him upside the head, and you wish Gramma Tut were around to hear that, since she probably would have. You can understand him being mad at you, but that was just rude and immature. So much for making up earlier that morning.

Besides Leon’s occasional snide comment, you have an easy (if not a little guilt-ridden) morning, and Milo says you can all head out after lunch. You spend the morning writing a letter to your family (and excitedly mention you’ve caught more than one Pokémon) and walking through the ranch with Milo. He offered to give Leon a tour as well, but he glumly refused. When you stepped onto the porch without him, you did hear Papa Put’s soft voice through the screen door.

“You attract more Cutieflies with honey than with vinegar, Leon,” he says. You don’t hear Leon’s mumbled response.

Milo is a good conversationalist, and incredibly genuine, so you have a pleasant morning walk with him as he shows you around the ranch. As the breeze whispers through your hair and your shoes press into the light green grass of the pastures, you tell him a bit about yourself, where you came from, why you wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, and more. He tells you that both him and his girlfriend are Pokémon trainers too, and your heart drops at the sound. Guess those looks and questions were just him being a genuinely nice and curious person. Oh well.

Your gloom ends when you get to pet a Mudsdale for the first time. They looked big from outside your window, but when you stand beside one directly, it’s hard to not be intimidated by their thick muscles, stone-like hooves, and towering height. They’re friendly enough, though, so you offer a few pats to them when Milo shows you around the barn, then you both head back to the farmhouse when your stomachs start to rumble. You can vaguely hear Papa Put’s voice coming from the house as you walk up the front path.

“It is important to determine what you really want in life,” you hear him say. His voice is soft, so it’s hard to make out exactly what he’s saying. “What will happen when you lose, or when you quit? Who will still be by your side? Who will you have not pushed away because they aren’t perfect?”

“I know,” you hear Leon say. His voice is muffled, and you wonder if he’s holding his face in his hands like he does. “I just don’t want her to get torn apart by everyone.”

“It seems you are the only one tearing her apart, Leon,” Papa Put says gently. “What will hold the test of time? Your image, or a dear friendship? I know there a lot of expectations on-”

“What Pokémon do you think you’d like to catch next?” Milo asks suddenly. You jolt into focus at the unexpected volume. “I like Grass-types myself.”

Your mind reroutes for a moment, and you’ve missed the end of Papa Put’s sentence. You probably shouldn’t be eavesdropping anyway... You think that a Grass-type would be nice, or really any type would be nice besides another Fire or Normal-type. But even then, if you bonded with a Pokémon with either of those types, you wouldn’t bar them from joining you.

You’re deep in another conversation with Milo when you step onto the porch, and although you didn’t say anything particularly funny, he laughs quite loud, and he stomps his boots on the front mat. You kick the mud off yours, though you don’t pound your feet as hard as Milo did. You wonder what Leon was talking about with Papa Put, because they’re silent when you walk in.

Your grumbling stomach takes precedent again when Papa Put blesses you all with another delicious meal. Gramma Tut eventually joins you after she finishes a ‘business venture.’ Part of you wants to ask what that means, the wiser part of you doesn’t risk it. You eat and you talk and you mentally prepare yourself for another long journey with a frustrated Leon. Milo acts as a bit of a buffer, though, so maybe it won’t be so bad. As you finally prepare to leave, Gramma Tut set the curtains on fire again, so it’s a little hectic getting out the door. After her Sharpedos blast a Hydro Pump in through the kitchen window, she’s stepped out onto the porch.

“Hold up folks!” she calls.

You, Milo, and Leon turn to see her waddling up to you. Some of her hair is still singeing, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Papa Put is standing on the porch and leaning against the railing, watching as Gramma Tut reaches you, takes your hand, and presses something into it. It’s lightweight, barely feels like anything at all, until you feel a light prick in your palm.

“Togekiss feather from Papa Put,” she explains. “They bring sweet blessings to those who wear ‘em. And a Sharpedo tooth from me ‘cuz they’re friggin’ sick as hell.”

You open your palm to better see the necklace she’s handed you. The chain glints gold in the sunlight, and the smooth feather and Sharpedo tooth lay light in your hand. The ends of both are encased in gold, connecting them to the chain. You wonder how she gathered these things.

“They’re beautiful,” you breathe. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“These look expensive,” Leon agrees as he gently weaves the other necklace around his fingers. Gramma Tut waves a hand at you both.

“Nah, you can get things for a good price if you know the right people, and if the right people happen to owe you a favor anyway.”

You glance to the Togekiss that’s perching on Papa Put’s shoulder. You wonder if these feathers came from it. Leon clasps his around his neck, and you do the same. It sits airily over your collarbone – if you weren’t feeling it with your fingers, you wouldn’t even notice it was there.

“Thank you for everything, Gramma Tut, Papa Put,” you say, and you offer them both a hug. They kindly return the offer.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again someday,” Gramma Tut says with a toothy grin, and Papa Put nods. “Cant’s shake me that easy, missy. You take care of each other, you hear?”

You and Leon nod.

“And if you’re ever in a pinch, just think ‘What would Gramma Tut do?’”

You and Leon nod again, but this time’s a little slower. You’re not sure you could ever properly predict Gramma Tut. After another round of goodbyes and thank yous, you finally head down the dirt path.

You ask Milo what it was like growing up with grandparents like them, and he regales a few childhood memories as you head back to the stables to get your Pokémon, the Mudsdales, and the supplies you’ll take to the Watt trading station. Although it was only a little under a day, you missed Minccino and Growlithe dearly. They’re excited to see you, and they bound around your feet when you arrive. After a snuggle to each, Minccino climbs up your shoulder and sniffs a bit of the hay that’s beside you. She sneezes, a Mudsdale rears back, and Minccino leaps off your shoulder in shock. She scurries underneath the carriage.

“C’mon, Minccino, you’re safe,” you coax. She’s trembling behind the wheel of the carriage, and darts further back when you reach towards her.

“Poor thing,” Milo says. “Looks like both of ‘em got spooked.”

Milo steps over and kneels beside you. When he reaches his hand to Minccino, you inhale through your teeth.

“Oh, careful, she doesn’t like-”

Your sentence drops just as your jaw does when Minccino comes up to Milo, sniffs, then rubs her face against his outstretched hand. She quickly climbs up his arm to sit on his shoulder and bumps her head against his temple.

“What were you saying?” Milo asks as he scratches behind Minccino’s ear.

Both your and Leon’s jaws are hanging open.

“Well I thought she just didn’t like men,” you say quietly. “But I guess that’s not the case.”

Leon tenses beside you, but you don’t comment on it.

“I’ve had a lot of experience handling Pokémon,” Milo says as he pats Minccino on the head. “Maybe she can sense that.”

Milo leads a Mudsdale out from the stables and guides it over to you. The massive Pokémon is intimidating, but beautiful at the same time, with its dark coat and deep brown eyes. You ask if you can pet it, and you gently rub your hand up its nose. A laugh escapes when the Mudsdale whinnies and pushes its head against your hand for more pats.

“Seems like Pokémon like you too, huh?” Milo chuckles.

Your eyes flick to Leon, though his expression is hard to read.

“Have you ever straddled anything before?” Milo asks as he steps around to the Mudsdale’s side, and your eyebrows shoot up on your forehead. Leon glances to you as well, apparently curious for your answer.

“Uh,” you mutter as a blush creeps onto your cheeks. You may have imagined something along those lines before you went to sleep last night, but that probably isn’t the answer he’s looking for, especially now that you know he’s got a girlfriend.

“These Pokémon can be intimidating if you haven’t been around them much,” Milo continues. “So, if you’ve never ridden one it might take you a minute to get the hang of it. Come over to this side to hop on up.”

You follow Milo’s instructions as you try to mount the Mudsdale. You stick your foot in the stirrup, hoist yourself up, only to step back onto the ground. You try a second time, though you can’t seem to get high enough to sling your leg over the other side of the saddle. Well, this isn’t embarrassing at all. You wish you had some better core strength or something, because your third try to get on the Mudsdale is just as pitiful as your first two attempts. Your teeth clench when Leon lets out a snort. The second frustration starts swirling in your throat, Gramma Tut’s words echo in your head.

_Who are you comparing yourself to?_

…Right now, it’s Milo, and Milo is someone who’s spent plenty of time around Mudsdales, whereas you have spent zero time around Mudsdales. No wonder you’re not good at it yet. You’re not failing at climbing up on this giant Pokémon, you’re learning something new.

“No worries,” Milo says. “They’re big Pokémon. Mind if I help you up?”

“Sure,” you grumble.

“I’m going to hold the back of your thigh,” Milo explains. “You can push against me when you lift yourself up.”

“Oh,” you say as your eyebrows raise. Great. A handsome man touching you, just what you need. Maybe you could run and launch yourself onto the Mudsdale. “Are you sure I won’t push you over or something?”

“Oh no,” he chuckles. “I’m pretty sturdy. Lifting hay bales makes a man strong.”

Fair. You wonder if Leon lifts hay bales. You glance to him, only to see his brow furrowed and arms crossed. When you meet his eye, he glances away. Milo helps you up, and it isn’t nearly as invasive as you were hoping. Er, expecting. You settle yourself onto the saddle, and give the Mudsdale a pat as Milo steps back.

“Easy as pie,” he says. “Papa’s pie though, not Gramma’s. As for you, Leon, I’ve got another Mudsdale for you. She and I may have to share though, since our third Mudsdale hasn’t been feeling well lately, and the rest of ‘em ain’t used to being ridden.”

“I’ll share with her,” Leon says quickly. This is the first time he’s spoken since you’ve left the farmhouse.

“You sur-”

“Yep,” Leon says with a decisive nod.

Milo hardly opens his mouth again before Leon steps over to you. He tucks his foot into the stirrup, hoists himself up, and slides into the saddle behind you. He probably has more core strength than you do, though you don’t think about it long as Leon abruptly holds your hips and pulls you closer so you’re sitting between his legs and your back is to his chest. His hair tickles your neck when he reaches on either side of your waist to hold the reigns.

“Well that takes care of that,” Milo says with a good-natured smile. He reaches towards the saddle, and Leon tenses around you. “Glad you’re so willing to be helpful, Leon.”

After adjusting something in the saddlebag, Milo heads over to his Mudsdale.

“Are we going to ride like this the whole time?” you ask.

You try to hide your nerves, but you’re not sure how well your heart will fare with Leon’s firm thighs on either side of yours for so long. And his firm stomach. And chest. And arms. And the sturdy – if not a little possessive – grip of his hands. You wish it didn’t make you so sweaty, you’re supposed to be mad at him.

“Would you rather ride with him?” Leon asks. It’s almost a growl, and his breath is hot on your ear as he leans closer. You try not to shiver at the proximity, or how his voice rumbles against you. If your heart is already beating this hard and you’ve been on this Mudsdale for two minutes, you don’t really want to think about how high your blood pressure will be by the time you get to the next Watt trading station.

“Not the whole time,” Milo says. “We’re picking up the cart and supplies a bit down the road. I figured this would be faster than walking.”

You nod, though your breath hitches when the Mudsdale starts forward. Leon’s arms are firm on either side of your waist, and although your hands are holding the reigns, he seems determined to hold them too. You try not to focus on it. It doesn’t work very well. Milo easily hops up onto his own Mudsdale and you all start heading down the dirt path.

“You can relax, you know,” Leon mutters against your ear. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I know,” you quickly snap back, though you probably couldn’t force your heart rate down even if you wanted to. “I’ve never ridden a Mudsdale before and it’s nerve-wracking. Not everything is about you.”

Leon tenses around you and he starts gripping the reigns a little harder. Maybe you shouldn’t have said that. The longer you ride, the more you try to focus on your surroundings and less on Leon’s arms around you. From this high off the ground, you get a better view of the mountains in the distance and the sprawling green pastures that lead up to them.

The Mudsdale’s steps are rhythmic and soothing, and you slowly lean against Leon’s chest inch by inch until you’re fully resting against him. You were content to watch the green fields shine and the Cutieflies flutter, so when Leon adjusts behind you so you’re more comfortable, you quickly sit up straight.

“Oh, sorry,” you mutter. “I didn’t realize…”

“You’re fine,” Leon says. This whisper is much softer than how angry he’s been this morning. “You can lean on me if it’s more comfortable.”

Now that he isn’t snapping at you so much, you aren’t as hesitant to slowly lean against him again. Leon rests his hands in your lap as he holds the reigns. You’re not sure if it’s intentional when he gently folds his hands over yours.

“I’m, um,” Leon says quietly, then he lets out a sigh. “Sorry again.”

“Me too,” you whisper. You hesitantly curl your hand around two of his fingers, and give him a reassuring squeeze. He laces your fingers together, and you wish you weren’t so disappointed when Milo says it’s time to get off the Mudsdales.

“Pardon me, but I’ve got to attach the cart,” he says as he nimbly hops off the Mudsdale. You quickly scooch forward and away from Leon when Milo steps over to you.

Leon elegantly slides off, and you desperately hope you can be elegant too when trying to get off this thing. That doesn’t seem to be the case, and you flop forward. You weren’t sure if Leon was expecting that to happen, because he deftly catches you and lightly sets you on your feet. You stand there for an extra second, with his arms around your waist and your hands splayed over his chest, until you focus in and step back.

The last time he held you like that was when you climbed out of that stupid cabin window to see the Chinchou lights. When you meet Leon’s eye for half a second, you wonder if he’s thinking the same thing.

Milo gathers the supplies he’s to bring to the Watt trading station and before long you’re off again. He says it’ll be a three-day trip, but that’s much faster than the week it would have been if you took the route on foot. The cart that is attached to the Mudsdales only has enough room at the front for two people, so Leon glumly sits at the back. You glance back to see him picking at the hay around him and kicking his legs over the back of the cart.

Why has he been so strange lately? He’s been cold towards you, then warm and soothing, then cold again, all right after one another. It’s challenging to be gentle and kind with him when he’s so determined to insult you.

“Milo,” you say quietly. He raises his eyebrows to signal he’s listening. “You said you and Leon have been friends for a while, right?”

He nods.

“What’s he like?”

Milo’s brow furrows and he glances at you.

“What do you mean? Haven’t you been traveling with him?”

“Yeah,” you say. “But… I want to know if he’s any different out, um… out in the real world.”

“He seems a little down lately,” Milo says thoughtfully. “The Leon I’m used to is upbeat and encouraging. Awfully selfless and kind, too.”

You nod.

“That’s what he was like up until we had a fight,” you sigh. “But now he’s being mean and distant.”

“Leon is a pretty popular guy,” Milo says. “A lot of people want his attention, but he really only has a few close friends. He may not be used to caring so much for a new person. Try to be patient with him.”

You nod and rest your chin on your knees. The dirt path is relatively clear, but you’re grateful for the strength of the Mudsdales, as the landscape beyond the fencing is becoming rockier the longer you travel. The leafy trees are being replaced with dark pines the closer you travel to the mountain ridges, and the light green pastures slowly thread into a viridian coat of grass and pine needles. There aren’t enough trees to block the sky yet, so you watch a few clouds. You think back to when you and Leon stargazed together in the Rolling Fields, and you unintentionally let out a sigh.

“Milo?”

“Hm?”

“Do you know what Leon’s job is?” you ask nervously. “He’s always so vague whenever the subject comes up.”

Milo pauses, then chuckles.

“I do, but I’m not one to share other’s personal information,” he says. “If Leon isn’t going into detail about it, then I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Perhaps you can ask him yourself.”

“He always gets weird about it,” you mumble.

“Maybe you shouldn’t ask about it then,” Milo says gently. “I’m sure there are bits of you that Leon is curious about that you aren’t willing to share yet. Has he tried to pry or trick any information out of you?”

“…No.”

“Let him tell you on his own time, then,” Milo says. “If it’s any consolation, he and I have been friends for a while. He is an amazing man, and there is nothing you should worry about. He is one of the most kindhearted, generous, and respectful people I’ve ever met. Gramma says he has a good heart, too, and she can always tell that sort of thing.”

For some reason, you believe him.

You travel in silence for a while, and you gaze at the trees and boulders lining the path. It’s quite the crisp palette of dark green needles, the light brown of the path, the cool gray of the rocks, and the dark brown of the bark and wooden fencing. You vaguely wonder what the next trading station will be like. The one in the West Lake Axewell was one of the largest, and you can’t remember reading anything about how updated this one is.

“Do you fancy him?” Milo asks.

You nearly jump out of your skin at the question.

“What?!” you ask quickly. “Who’s fancy?”

“Leon,” Milo repeats. “Do you like him?”

Once you regain your composure, you meekly tuck your knees to your chest.

“Oh,” you say. “We’re just… travel partners.”

Milo raises an eyebrow.

“There was a lot more than ‘just’ in the way you said ‘just.’”

You breathe out a laugh as you shrug.

“We’re… we’re friends,” you say, but the way you say it isn’t even convincing to you. Milo seems to understand, and you hold your face in your hands. “I think we’re friends, at least. It’s confusing.”

You breathe in the crisp air, then exhale it in a deep sigh. Milo hums.

“He seems quite fond of you. It’s not often that Leon pays so much attention to someone.”

You glance back at Leon, though he’s facing the road behind you. His shoulders aren’t so slumped, and he’s leaning against some of the hay behind him. Dreepy is curled on top of his head, and he’s lazily petting Growlithe.

“I wish I didn’t like him so much,” you say with a sigh. “I don’t know how he feels.”

You’re not sure why Milo chuckles at that.

“Are you sure?” he asks. “Well, I suppose it’s harder for you to see the way he looks at you.”

You purse your lips, then rub over your face in frustration.

“I just… I dunno, Milo, it’s hard to tell,” you huff as you slump your chin on your fist. “What he says and what he does are practically two different things. It’s like this constant emotional whiplash.”

Milo chuckles and offers you a nod of understanding.

“Yep, that’s how my girlfriend was too before we started dating,” Milo says. “Lots of confusion and miscommunication, and assuming things didn’t help either of us.”

“What did you do?” you ask.

“I eventually just told her how I felt,” he says with a shrug. “Laid it out nice and clear for her.”

“I was worried you’d say that,” you grumble. “I don’t want to make things awkward, we’ve still got a bit of traveling to do together. And if he doesn’t like me like that then…”

You hide your face in your hands again.

“I don’t know if I’d be able to handle that rejection.”

Milo pats your back.

“I guess you’ll just have to decide if that’s a risk you’re willing to take.”

His hands return to the reigns, and you’re content to listen to the creak of the wheels and the steps of the Mudsdales as you travel down the path. It’s nearing sunset, so the chill in the air is apparent when your body trembles with a shiver.

“It may be warmer in the hay back there,” Milo says with a gesture of his head. He has a knowing smile inching on his face, and the corners of your mouth twitch up. “Maybe take it one step at a time, though. You’ll get there eventually, even if it’s bumpy.”

You breathe out a laugh, and pat Milo’s arm again as you offer him a thank you.

You thought he was being metaphoric but stepping back into the cart is precarious. You take a wrong step, trip into the hay, and a chunk of it poofs up around you. After some graceful squirming, you settle yourself beside Leon.

“Hi,” you say as you bump his shoulder with yours.

He grunts in response. Hm. Bumpy indeed.

“Leon?” you say quietly.

He raises his eyebrows to signal he’s listening, though he won’t look at you.

“How are you doing?”

He shrugs.

“You haven’t smiled at all today,” you say.

He shrugs again, and you sigh.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going through your head, but I want to help,” you say. “Or, I guess I want you to trust me enough to let me help.”

Leon doesn’t respond for a while, so you both watch the retreating path as the cart hums along. You spot a few Bronzor in the trees around you, along with a few Machop. Your attention turns when Leon speaks up again.

“I know I’m not the easiest to be around right now, but I’d appreciate if you gave me some time to figure some stuff out,” he says. “This is all really new to me.”

You nod.

“So sorry again,” he says, and he finally looks at you. “And thanks for checking up on me.”

His eyes scan your face, and he finally breathes out a laugh. He reaches towards you, and when you don’t flinch away, he gently plucks a few pieces of hay from your hair and offers them to you.

“You want these?”

“I think I’m good,” you say with a smile, and he lets the hay flutter in the wind. You watch the little bit of yellow fade into the pink-tinged distance. You sit in silence for a while, but as you slowly build up the courage to reach out to his hand, Leon breaks the silence.

“So, are you going to stay here with me or are you going back up to your boyfriend?”

You sigh. Things were going so well, too. You don’t bother to mention that Milo is taken, nor do you ask him why he didn’t bother catching up with his friend enough to know that. Instead of a verbal response, you stand, brush off the hay, and sit with Milo again. Milo doesn’t comment on the faint sparkle of tears that drop from your eyes.

The pink threads of sunset deepen to orange, so Milo pulls off the road. You wait for him to scout out a good campsite, and once he comes back, he guides the Mudsdales by foot. He leads you to a small clearing surrounded by pine trees, bushes, and a small stream. There’s a picnic table here too, and you wonder how often Milo comes down this route if he knew to look for this spot. It isn’t until you pull out your tent that you hear Leon swear.

“Everything alright?” Milo asks.

“I can’t find my backpack,” he says as he looks around the cart. You and Milo search with him, only for Leon to swear again. “I think I left it in my room.”

“You know what, I think you’re right,” Milo says with a sigh. “I attached hers to the saddlebags, but I don’t think I did that with yours.”

Leon runs his hands over his face and lets out another frustrated sigh.

“I’ll go get it,” Milo says suddenly. “If you both can watch the cart, I’ll take a Mudsdale back. I can be back here by morning.”

Leon lets out another sigh.

“Are you sure?” he asks dejectedly. “That’s a lot of travel, Milo.”

“You need it, I’m sure,” he says. “Will you both be able to survive the night without it? I’ve got supplies too in the cart.”

“I’ve got stuff in my bag,” you say. “I have a little bit of food, but honestly your grandparents fed us so much I think we’d be fine for the night anyway.”

Leon nods, and Milo glances between you two. You’re not sure what he’s thinking when he shifts between his feet like that. After he breathes in a deep sigh, he nods.

“Alright, I’ll see you both in the morning then,” he says. “Then we can really get on our way tomorrow.”

Milo unhitches both Mudsdale from the cart, returns one to its Poké Ball, then hoists himself up onto the other. With another wave he’s off, galloping into the sunset. Once the sound of hooves fades, the chirps of Bug Pokémon and the stream behind you fill your ears. The tension between is you and Leon is palpable, and you wish you knew what to say, but you don’t risk saying anything. He’s been so unpredictable lately.

“I might go forage, actually,” Leon says suddenly. You wonder if he just doesn’t want to be alone with you. “Just in case we want some berries or something in the morning.”

You nod and let Growlithe accompany Leon into the trees. Charizard, Dreepy, and Minccino stay with you to set up camp and explore the new space. As Leon leaves, you heave out a sigh.

Should you just, like, start from square one with him? Start your friendship from scratch? All of this back and forth is incredibly confusing, and you’re never sure how to interact with Leon anymore. You wish it could be as easy as it was when you had that electrifying chemistry. Well, that was confusing in its own way, too…

He isn’t even gone long enough for you to fully set up the campfire. You at least got the pot out, so when you hear a rustle, you turn to see Leon coming back into the clearing, he sets a handful of berries into the pot, then wipes his mouth – he must’ve snacked on a couple.

“Found some,” he says.

You tell him good work and continue setting up camp, but something about the air seems different when Leon glances around, then back to you. He steps towards you and a cheeky grin barely inches onto his face.

“So, Milo’s gone,” Leon mutters, though it’s almost a purr.

“Yup,” you say as you walk over to the pot to wash the berries in the stream. Leon blocks your path when he steps closer.

“We haven’t been alone in a while.”

“…Yup.”

You turn back around, though you can feel Leon slowly stepping closer to you, and you try to force down the hair that’s rising on your neck.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers, and you try not to squeak when his hands gently brush your waist.

“Not sure why,” you reply after a moment. “We’ve been together this whole time.”

“You know what I mean,” he whispers. His words float around you just as his breath does, and you try not to shudder when you feel it hot on your neck.

What is he doing, why is he standing so close? If he’s trying to make a point to Milo, then really he should wait until Milo is back. He gently pulls you to his chest, and barely slides his fingers under the hem of your shirt. The feeling makes your nerves crackle like electricity.

“What are you doing?” you ask when Leon sets his head on your shoulder.

“I haven’t been sleeping well without you,” he says quietly, but that didn’t answer your question. Your heart is pounding too hard, and he’s standing much too close as he pulls your hair from your neck. You’re not sure what he’s up to, but when you barely feel the brush of his lips on your neck, your frustration spikes.

“What’re you doing?” you repeat as you squirm out of his arms.

Leon doesn’t respond, and steps towards you when you step back.

“Touching me so much isn’t going to get me to forget how you’ve been acting,” you huff as you unwrap his hands again.

You turn to face him only to see him staring at you. Something is different in the way he’s looking at you. His pupils are dilated and almost… hungry…?

“You don’t need to touch me so much,” you say, though it comes out less confident than you had hoped, especially now that he’s backed you against the picnic table. “Go forage some more or do something useful.”

When he steps towards you again, you shoo him away, and he reluctantly does go back to foraging. He gestures towards Growlithe, you nod, and they both start into the thicket to search for berries. You stare a little longer than you should at his retreating frame.

You turn to see Charizard raising an eyebrow at you.

“What?” you huff, though you won’t meet his eye as a blush creeps into your cheeks. It’s not _your_ fault Leon’s incredibly well-built and handsome... In your periphery you see him give an eyeroll as well.

You set up the tent, the fire, and you play with Minccino and Dreepy a bit, all the while trying to shake off the strange atmosphere of when Leon was standing so close to you. You hear Leon call your name, and you go to greet him.

“Hey, I found some more of these berries,” he says. “Do you know what they’re called?”

He’s got a pile of berries, and he’s holding the hem out so his shirt acts as a little basket. You gasp.

“Wow, you found so many,” you enthuse as you look at his collection. “These are Custap berries, they’re really rare, too.”

And also really expensive. He’s practically holding gold bars in his shirt. Leon grins and showcases his prize, but when he pops one into his mouth, your eyes widen, and dread thunks in your stomach like a chunk of old meatloaf.

“What?” he mumbles through a mouthful of berry. He motions to eat another one, but you grab his wrist.

“Leon,” you whisper as the situation looms over you. The strange atmosphere from earlier is starting to make sense. “How many of these did you eat?”

“I dunno,” he says with a shrug. “I’ve been snacking on them for a while. I’ve probably had a couple handfuls at this point.”

 _”Handfuls?”_ you repeat in a squeak.

Oh dear.

 _Oh_ dear.

You need to get out of here.

And quickly.

“Why? They’re not poisonous, are they? I just ate a ton off a bush back there,” he says. “Growlithe ate some too.”

“Th-they have attack-enhancing properties on Pokémon, so he’s fine,” you stutter as you back away. “And they’re fine if they’re cooked, but if humans ingest them raw, they work as a powerful…p-powerful…”

Suddenly, Leon’s pupils dilate, and the danger is imminent.

“Aphrodisiac,” you finish with a gulp.

The temperature around you seems a few degrees hotter than it was a minute ago, especially when Leon peels off his shirt.

Oh dear.

Oooooh dear.

This is exactly why you need a license to sell Custap berries and why your parents kept them locked away in a safe at the berry shop.

Leon pushes you backwards into the tent, and you scramble back as quickly as you can. You can barely see his irises, and his lips are red and raw from the Custap juice as he catches the droplets with his tongue. He’s crawling towards you, his eyes drag down your frame, and his shoulders move as if he were a lion stalking his prey. You try to move around him, but your hand slides on the slippery fabric of the sleeping bag. Your breath catches when Leon straddles your hips and sets his hands on either side of your head.

“I’ve never wanted anything more,” Leon whispers as he leans his head in. “Than I want you, right now.”

You haven’t been this close in a long time. Your heart is pounding, and the feelings you’ve kept denying are quickly bubbling to the surface.

“O-oh, I’m sure that’s not true,” you stutter as you squeeze your eyes closed. “You’ll change your mind once it wears off.”

Soon, you desperately hope, because Leon leans closer, presses his lips to your jaw, and you let out a soft squeak. He growls in approval and drags kisses down your throat. He’s leaving a trail of sticky berry juice with each kiss, and you can feel the tingling effect on your skin and the heat swirling around you. He’s dense, so your halfhearted attempts to push him off aren’t successful, especially so when your distraction takes precedent when your fingers slot in the dips of the muscle of his chest.

His lips are soft, his kisses sweet, and your eyes flutter closed with each one as he trails down your throat again. You shouldn’t want this, you shouldn’t be letting this happen, but you barely muster up the strength when you feel his tongue against your neck.

 _“Leon,”_ you breathe.

He tangles his fingers into your hair, angles your jaw up to suck at the sensitive skin right where your heart beats. Or right where it’s racing, moreso. Your breath hitches when he bites, a soft moan slips out of your throat, and Leon presses closer. He keeps his lips at your neck, though he’s moving and adjusting himself slowly by pulling your knees apart and settling himself between them. The second he pushes his hips against yours you have to choke back another gasp at the pressure.

Nope, you need to focus on running far, far away, and not focus on how Leon is pulling your hands down his chest, down his stomach, around his back, all the while nipping and sucking at your skin, your collarbone, your shoulder. It’s all happening so quickly, and you try to squirm out from under him, but that just makes him pin you harder.

His hair is draping over you, his scent is so close, and his heat and his hands are the only things you can focus on. Even when he’s drugged beyond compare, he seems to know exactly where to kiss, where to touch, to pull soft sounds from you, and that makes it even harder to make him stop.

“Leon we can’t,” you whisper as the blush flares in your cheeks. And your entire body, really, and you’re sure Leon notices.

You definitely can’t let him kiss your lips, or let his stained hands anywhere near your mouth, because if you get a taste of that potent berry juice too, it’ll squash every bit of resistance you have and it’s game over for your and Leon’s semi-normal relationship.

“But I want to,” he growls against your skin. “I want you, I _need_ you.”

When you squirm again, he grips your wrists and pins them above your head in frustration, and you choke back another gasp. He may not remember any of this once the effect wears off, but you sure will, especially with how he breathes your name like that, how he does everything and anything you wish he weren’t when you know you shouldn’t be enjoying it.

“You’re so beautiful,” he purrs. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

Your mind is fuzzy, drawing a blank, as his lips trail over your skin. The more you try to squirm away, the harder he kisses you, the sharper his bite, and you wonder how on earth you’ll explain this to him once the rubbish effect wears off.

Soon, you hope again, especially as he starts getting a little more rough.

“This entire time,” he grunts as he nips your skin again. “Arceus this entire time you’ve been looking like that and touching me the way you do and you don’t even know how much I’ve had to restrain myself.”

He doesn’t seem keen on restraining himself any longer when he reaches down to his pants zipper.

Oh, nope. Nope nope nope, abort mission, cancel cancel cancel. You can explain some hickeys and fingerprint bruises, but you do _not_ want to have to explain anything beyond that. You quickly find the strength to kick his leg out, shove him off, scramble away, and rush out into the fresh air.

“Chariza- _mmph!”_

Your sentence is cut short when Leon puts his hand over your mouth. He’s pushing you against a tree now, and he’s set his thigh between your legs. You can’t ground yourself on anything but Leon, and you turn your head whenever he leans in. You motion to call Charizard, or really any of your Pokémon, but your sentence catches again when Leon cups your jaw, his hand slips, and slides his thumb between your teeth.

Ah, shit.

The sweet juice of the berry is still lingering, and Leon’s eyes are deep, hungry, and you tremble under the intensity when he presses your bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. The taste is sweet, sticky, and when you feel that fire starting to swirl in your stomach, you manage to grab a fistful of his hair to yank him off of you, but that only makes him grunt and thrust against you.

Whoops. He liked that too much. You’re not sure where to store that information.

You won’t let him near your lips so he kisses your cheek, your jaw, anything he can reach, and he slowly trails lower and lower. His breath and tongue are hot on your neck, and the noises he’s making and the touches he’s offering you make that fire blaze hotter. You have to focus enough to call for Charizard again. He comes barreling over, only to stop and stare at you both when Leon tugs your shirt up.

“Don’t just stand there and watch!” you yell as you push Leon’s hands away. “Get him off of me!”

Charizard seems to finally comprehend, just in time too, because Leon’s lips were exploring just a bit too low for your tastes. Charizard grips Leon’s shoulders and pulls him back, and you finally have room to breathe. His eyes are lidded and glassy, and he’s staring at you as if he hasn’t eaten anything in days.

“I need you,” he purrs. “Let me kiss you, against this tree, in the tent, on the table, everywhere, anywhere, I need you right now.”

You hide behind the tree.

“I’m going to leave for a little bit, Charizard, good luck!” you call. “Don’t let him leave the camp and come get me when he’s better!”

Charizard lets out a frustrated huff as he tries to contain Leon, and Growlithe pulls on Leon’s pant leg in assistance. Dreepy’s biting his hair, but that’s not doing much. Minccino darts out, witnesses the commotion, and follows you when you book it out of there.

After a minute of running, you and Minccino hoist yourselves up into a tree. The branches creak the higher you climb, and once you’re safely away from Leon’s hungry hands and dilated eyes, you slump against the trunk with a huff. Your heart is still pounding, and you lean your head against the bark as your legs gently dangle over each side of the branch. The effect from that bit of taste you had has already worn off after running so long, but you make sure to spit out as much of it as you can.

“Well,” you tell Minccino. “Didn’t expect that to happen today.”

She nods in understanding as her tail flicks back and forth. She sits in front of you, and you gently stroke through the soft fur. It’s cooler up here than it was on the ground, but perhaps that’s just because you don’t have a desperate and needy and shirtless Leon pressing against you. Your fingers trail over the marks he left on your skin, and you let out a sigh. Those will definitely bruise. He pinched your lip really hard, too, it’ll probably swell up by the end of the day. You don’t blame Leon, of course, and he’ll honestly probably be mortified once he cools down. You sigh.

“Minccino,” you say quietly. “I think I enjoyed that too much.”

She looks up at you with big eyes and flicks her tail again. You’re not sure what that means, so you give her a pat on the head as you shake yours. It seems Dreepy has followed you as well, and he’s finally floated up to the branch you’re settled on. You give him a pat on the head too and sigh again.

And everything Leon said…

_You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this._

_You don’t even know how much I’ve had to restrain myself._

So that’s like. Past tense. It has been. Not how hard it is to resist now. He wasn’t really resisting in that tent either though, to be honest.

Does that mean he’s wanted to kiss you this entire time?

Is that what those looks meant?

Is that what those delicate touches were for?

Is that why he was acting so strange with Milo?

You again trail your fingers over the marks Leon left with his stained kiss. It’s high time for a conversation with Leon and what you both are, because it certainly isn’t strangers, and it’s certainly something beyond friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m so sorry,” Leon groans into his hands. “I’m so so so so so sorry.”

“It’s okay Leon,” you say. It’s probably your tenth time reassuring him. “You couldn’t help it.”

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbles again as he shakes his head. “I’m _so_ sorry.”

You give him a pat on the shoulder and try to make it as non-sexy and platonic as possible.

“Nothing happened,” you say reassuringly, and Leon raises an eyebrow at you. “O-okay, well a lot happened but nothing you need to worry about. You just… tried to kiss me a lot.”

Leon shakes his head and sighs.

“A-and, well, you tried to do more than kiss me,” you mumble as your cheeks flare. Leon groans again and hides his face in his hands. “But you didn’t! We didn’t even _really_ kiss, and you kept your pants on and you only pulled my shirt up halfway.”

Leon groans again, pulls his hood up, then tightens the strings. The cloth scrunches around his nose, and you can’t see any other part of his face. Maybe it’s not such a good idea to tell him what he did when he was under the spell of Custap berry juice... He actually wouldn’t look at you when you first came back with Charizard a bit ago, and he was sitting on his hands for a while, only to hide his face in them when you mumbled an awkward greeting. You did persuade him to let you sit next to him at the fire, since the log he was sitting on was the only thing keeping you from the damp ground. He quickly scooched to the other end, though.

“Charizard,” Leon mumbles through the hoodie fabric. “Burn my hands off, please.”

“Leon,” you say sternly, and you shoo away Charizard when he steps over. “I told you not to worry about it. I’m not upset at you, and I fended you off well enough. I know how potent Custap berries are, and you had _way_ too many.”

“I’m never eating berries again,” Leon mumbles.

“Or just never eat strange berries you find in the woods,” you say with a laugh. “Please, I forgive you, and I need you to forgive yourself. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me or do anything without consent.”

Leon nods vigorously, though you can only see his nose bobbing up and down since his dark hoodie blends in with the forest.

“Never never never,” he repeats. “Arceus I can hardly ask to share a cot with you without fumbling like a twit.”

“See?” you say. “And that’s why I knew you weren’t yourself, because you’re always really awkward with stuff like that.”

You hear a faint chuckle through the hoodie fabric, and your own smile peeks through.

“Honestly, Leon,” you say gently. “You’re okay. You can come out from your hoodie.”

“I need one more minute.”

“Sounds good,” you chuckle, and you watch the fire. It dances and swirls, and casts long shadows from the tall pine trees around you. As the heat presses against your skin, you try to shove away the pull in your stomach when you’re reminded of Leon’s heat pressing against you earlier. Watching the light stars above your head helps a little.

You were up in that tree for maybe an hour or two, just playing with Dreepy and Minccino, before Charizard came to collect you when Leon calmed down. You genuinely aren’t upset with Leon (at least for that), especially because you’ve heard horror stories about the effects of the Custap juice. Although your parents sell them on occasion, they only ever sell them cooked and free of their aphrodisiac properties. They wouldn’t be upset if Custap berries were banned altogether, since that would lead to less shady characters trying to steal them.

Leon slowly loosens his hoodie strings, and after a deep sigh, pulls his hood off completely. You’re not sure how to make him feel better, how to ease that furrow in his brow, or how to rid the guilt from his eyes. You both watch the fire for a while, and Minccino climbs into your lap. The Bug Pokémon in the forest are calmly chirping, and dusk slowly melts into night.

“You probably hate me now,” he says quietly. You glance to him. “After everything I’ve put you through.”

The fire pops a few times, and Charizard curls up next to it. Growlithe settles himself into the curve of Charizard’s tail, and Dreepy nestles into the fluff of Growlithe’s tail.

“Charizard pushed me in the river and that helped,” Leon says. “After a few minutes of cooling down, it hit me what I just did.”

“You didn’t do anything,” you remind him gently.

“What I _almost_ did, then,” he says. “What I wanted to do. I’ve always had so much self-discipline and having that taken away was like a part of me was ripped out. And then I almost hurt you, someone I care so much about.”

He sighs again and leans back on the log.

“I almost hurt you.”

“But you didn’t,” you say again. “You didn’t fail, Leon, it was an honest mistake, and now we know not to eat raw Custap berries.”

“And I have hurt you,” Leon says as he turns to you. “So many times, I’ve said so many terrible things to you because I’ve been selfish and scared.”

Your brow furrows, and Leon is staring into your eyes in desperation.

“I’m so sorry,” he says as that glassy sheen appears again. “I can’t believe how cruel I’ve been to you lately.”

“I forgive you,” you say gently. You move an inch closer to see him better.

“I can follow the path back to Gramma Tut’s house,” Leon says suddenly as he pulls away. “That way you and Milo don’t have to deal with me anymore.”

Your brow furrows, and you lean towards him. He turns his head from you, but that doesn’t hide his sniffle, or how he wipes his cheeks with his palm. You’re not sure if it’s the trick of the light, or if it was a tear that dropped from his eyes.

“I can just get to the migration some other way,” he continues. “That way I won’t keep hurting you.”

“Leon, I don’t want to go unless I go with you,” you say. “Don’t think you’re getting away from me that easy.”

Leon’s brow furrows again, and he barely turns enough for you to see the light tear tracks that run down his face.

“The Butterfree migration sounds pretty cool,” you say with a shrug. “So, no matter how many times you push me away, I’ll keep my promise and take you there. I’ll stay by your side.”

You meet his eyes and give him a small smile. He opens his mouth a few times, only to close it, then he breathes out a laugh. The orange glow of the fire is gently highlighting his smile, just as much as the moonlight frames his face. You’d say he looks like a painting again, but he’s too alive to be a painting; his breath and his blush and the soft crinkle of the corners of his eyes – they’re too real to be just a painting. The light glint of waning tear tracks, the whisper of his hair in the gentle breeze, the way his laugh swirls around you… You want to stare at him for hours, though, just as you would a beautiful painting.

“We’ve had a weird few days, huh?” he asks after a while. You nod. “You’re amazing.”

You playfully flip your hair, and he chuckles. You both turn to the fire again, and a serene silence falls between you as you watch how the flames dance and swirl around one another. A few pops, a few cracks, and you peacefully recognize that the fire and pine trees and the grass around you are alive too. You both watch the fire for a while, and Leon breathes out a contended sigh.

“Let’s never fight again,” he says.

You nod.

“Sounds like a plan. Or, when we do fight again, let’s just not drag it on for days.”

“Deal,” Leon says with a smile.

“But let me say sorry too,” you say. “Especially with what I said about Hop. I knew what would hurt you, and I lashed out. I still think Hop is lucky to have a brother like you, even more so, now.”

Leon’s brow pulls together, and you nod.

“Having a brother who is working hard to better himself, and one that seeks forgiveness from his friends; that kind of brother is exactly what a little brother should have and learn from.”

He’s pausing, and the cogs are turning behind his gaze once again. You watch, and you wait, and something clicks in Leon’s eyes.

“Thank you,” he says. “I… I needed to hear that.”

You nod and pat his shoulder again. You let your touch linger an extra second, and you indulge in how Leon inches closer to you.

“And this probably isn’t the best time to ask,” Leon mumbles. He sniffles again, and your lower lip sticks out. “But could I, uh, could I… could I have a hug?”

“You’re asking permission now?” you ask smugly as you raise an eyebrow. Leon’s cheeks flare red and he mumbles out a few incoherent excuses. You inch towards him, wrap your arms around his shoulders, and give him a squeeze. After a brief pause, he quickly weaves his arms around your waist. “Sorry, that was too golden of an opportunity.”

Leon squeezes you closer, then you both breathe out a deep sigh. You hold each other a little longer than a normal hug would last, but you’re not going to be the one to comment on it. You’ve missed this.

“You’re lucky you’re not the one that ate those rubbish things,” he sighs against your ear.

You breathe out a laugh and he gently shakes his head. You both lean back, only for Leon to purse his lips.

“Alright, I need another one,” he says as he pulls you into another hug. “We’ve gone way too long fighting. I never realized how many hugs I need until I wasn’t getting them anymore.”

“Agreed,” you chuckle as you rest your head on his shoulder.

As his arms curl around you, as your bodies press together, you can feel your relationship healing. He’s warm, almost as warm as the fire, and it’s warming your heart, too. As you breathe out a deep and contended sigh, you think again on how grateful you are for Leon. Of course he has his flaws, as do you, but learning about his humanity and him learning about yours seems to bring you closer than you have ever been. When he squeezes you to his chest, you realize you’ve never missed someone so much before. The thought you had on that rainy morning repeats, slowly beating in you just as your pulse has, and you again wonder if you’re in love with Leon.

“I do have to say though,” Leon says beside your ear. “This entire time you’ve been talking with a lisp.”

“Yeah well you pinched my lip really hard,” you say, though you can’t stop your own smile as you lean back. Leon’s eyes flick around your face and his smile returns.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “It’s cute.”

You squint at him playfully, and he offers you an award-winning grin. You roll your eyes and bump his shoulder with yours in mock-retort.

“Did I hurt you though?” he asks softly. “You’ve got some bruises…”

You shrug.

“Nothing really hurts, and honestly I can’t tell how many bruises I’ve got,” you say. “Since you seemed adamant about my jaw and neck, places that I can’t easily see.”

Leon leans closer and looks for the marks he inflicted. He says there aren’t _too_ many, but you don’t really believe him when he guiltily bites his lip. His eyes flick around your face, and land on your lips.

“Yeah, I really got you there, didn’t I,” he sighs. You try to ignore the pull in your stomach as he stares at your lips. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s alright. You can kiss it and make it better.”

Leon’s eyebrows shoot high on his forehead.

“You… you want me to kiss your fat lip to make it feel better?”

You pause.

“I, uh… I guess that came out wrong, huh,” you stutter as a blush flares in your cheeks. You quickly rack your brain for a redeeming response. “That’d be weird, you, um, kissing me.”

“Yeah,” Leon says as he coughs out a laugh. “Yeah, definitely weird. A-and it was all just the berries, anyway.”

“Definitely,” you say with a hearty nod. “That’s probably why you liked it when I pulled your hair. And when you said you’ve been restraining yourself around me.”

Leon clears his throats, and it takes one extra second before he nods vigorously and forces out a laugh.

“Right,” Leon says as he laughs again. “Yeah I definitely have been.”

You weren’t sure if you imagined it or if the Bug Pokémon stopped chirping long enough for that phrase to bounce around your skull.

“Haven’t. Haven’t been,” he quickly corrects. “Because there’s nothing to restrain myself from doing, is, uh, is what I meant.”

“Right,” you say.

“And it’s not like I still want to kiss you, anyway,” he says as he gives you a smile. “Or it’s probably just because the berry juice hasn’t worn off completely.”

He’s been staring at your lips the past few seconds, and your heart thumps.

“What?” you ask.

You blink a few times, but Leon is still staring at your lips. He’s angled away from the fire and is fully facing you, leaning towards you, gaze latched. Your breath catches when he leans closer, only to hover a foot away. Your eyes flit between his mouth and his eyes, but his stare never waivers.

“Because I really want to kiss you,” he breathes.

Your eyelids are lowering despite yourself, and you lean closer just as he does. His eyes are glinting gold in the firelight, and his warmth is pressing against you when he stops only inches away. What you’ve been wanting, the cravings you’ve been pushing away – although they’ve been numbed and shoved to the side these past few days, after Leon’s apology it’s like they’ve roared to life again. He’s leaning closer still, enough to make him a little fuzzy, especially as your eyes close. You feel a brief brush of his thumb over your cheek, a slight pull of you to him, the heat of his breath against your lips, and you wait, and wait, and wait.

You peek your eyes open to see Leon shaking his head into focus.

“I-I mean,” he stutters. “B-Because of the berries, is all.”

You both pause, process, then bolt away from each other.

“Right, yes, that must be it,” you squeak in return as you scooch backwards. “Definitely. Kissing would be weird.”

“Definitely weird,” he says as he forces out a laugh. “Super weird.”

“Right,” you say again. “A-and we wouldn’t want Milo to come back and see us kissing.”

“And it’s not like I’d want to kiss you all night anyway,” Leon says as he waves a hand at you. “Since he’ll be back in the morning, s-so I’d have to kiss you all night. Or _we’d_ have to kiss all night, since kissing is like, you know, a two-person thing. That’d be weird. Since we’re just friends, is all.”

“Just friends,” you repeat.

Leon nods again. You fiddle with your thumbs for a moment, and you’re grateful that the buzz of the Bug Pokémon fills the silence between you two. You hear Charizard sigh from beside your campfire.

Friends. Alright. You and Leon are friends, that sounds good. You’re beyond strangers, at least, just like you thought. You’re glad that’s cleared up. Your relationship is now crystal clear, especially when your heart rate spikes when his hand brushes yours, just like it would with any normal friend.

“Sorry,” he says quickly as he yanks his hand back.

“That’s okay,” you cough.

You watch the fire again and fiddle with the hem of your shirt. You’re not sure which is worse – Leon straddling you, or this tension you could cut with a knife. You don’t think about it too much longer, as your attention snaps to the forest when a sound echoes. All your Pokémon are alert and staring into the trees.

“Did you hear that?” you ask quietly, and Leon nods. Suddenly the Bug Pokémon stop chirping and Growlithe and Minccino’s fur is standing on end. You wait, but the sound doesn’t repeat.

“I’ll go check it out,” Leon says. He grabs a stick from the fire to act as a torch, and he gestures for Charizard to follow.

“Be careful,” you say.

Leon and Charizard’s firelight fades into the pine trees, and soon the only sounds around you are the stream and the low growl that’s rumbling from Growlithe’s throat.

Someone whispers your name.

“Who’s there?” you ask. You stand quickly from the log and whip your head to the source of the sound. “Leon?”

You hear it again, and you spin around. Growlithe barks a few times, but it seems even he’s not sure where to turn. The hair on your neck is standing on end, and your heart rate spikes again when a chill runs down your spine.

“Hello?” you call again.

Nothing. There’s no response, and even the wind doesn’t blow.

You risk peering into the woods, and your heart stops when you see a shadow standing perfectly still between the trees.

Something slithers around your neck.

You let out a screech, rip it off of you, only to hurl Dreepy away from you. He shakes his head into focus, and when you apologize to him, the sounds of nature start up again. That doesn’t stop your heart from pounding in your ears, though. The flicker of fire speckles on the ground when Leon and Charizard come sprinting back. Leon runs up to you and grips your shoulders.

“Are you alright?” he asks frantically. “I heard you scream, are you hurt?”

“Dreepy startled me,” you say as you whip your head back to the woods. “But I think I saw something.”

Leon nods and starts towards where you gestured, but you quickly grab his hand.

“Don’t leave,” you say quietly. “Please.”

“Of course,” Leon says. “This place is pretty creepy.”

“It wasn’t so bad when it was lighter out,” you say as you rub your hands over your arms. That chill that ran through you is still trembling under your skin. “Maybe I’m just seeing things, I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

Even you aren’t convinced by your words, because you are sure you saw a shadow standing there. Leon’s voice brings you from your thoughts.

“Maybe we should hit the hay,” Leon says. “Not literally, though, since there actually is some hay over there.”

Your laugh eases your fear, but it doesn’t stop the chill that’s sporadically shaking through you. Leon standing so close helps a little.

“Goodnight,” Leon says as he gives you a pat on your shoulder. “I’m glad we got to talk some stuff through. Maybe those berries weren’t all bad.”

You laugh again and tell him ‘whatever you say,’ and Growlithe and Minccino race to the tent. As you step towards it, you turn to see Leon standing and glancing around.

“Where will you sleep?” you ask.

“I, uh, I’m not sure,” he says as he looks around. “I could actually sleep in the hay, but I don’t know if Milo wanted to keep that tarp over all the stuff tonight.”

“It’s too cold to stay out here,” you add. Leon nods.

The only sounds are the Bug Pokémon and the stream bubbling when the situation dawns. You try to bite down your anticipation.

“You could… stay with me,” you say quietly. “In the tent where it’s warm, I mean.”

“I don’t have my cot, though,” Leon says. “And we’ve only got the one sleeping bag.”

You shrug. Leon breathes out a laugh, and the blush creeps into your cheeks when he smiles again.

“A-and if something comes by it’d be nice to have you close…” you mutter as you bashfully tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “Just in case, I mean.”

“I thought you’d never ask without technically asking,” he says as he follows you into the tent. He returns Charizard to his Poké Ball, and Dreepy slithers into the pocket of Leon’s hoodie. “I’ve got my sweater at least, I should be fine on the other side of the tent.”

You don’t want to risk your reaffirmed just-friends friendship by asking him to sleep closer than that, so you nod. The last time you were in here together was a bit more eventful, and your belongings are in disarray from your and Leon’s… activities. He helps you tidy up, and that strange anticipation laces into the air. You thought it would disappear by now, after spending so many nights separate from him, but that seems to make it even stronger.

You ignore it in favor of settling into your sleeping bag. It took a bit of back and forth, but you persuaded Leon to use your pillow, so he’s got at least a little bit of comfort as he sleeps on the tent floor. You’re on the brink of sleep when you hear another twig snap. You bolt up when you see a shadow hovering outside the tent. When you blink, it’s gone.

“Leon,” you whisper as you poke at his shoulder. “Leon, wake up.”

“Hmng?” he mutters. “What?”

“I think there’s someone outside,” you whisper. “Can you check?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles. He crawls over and unzips the tent flap. You hug Minccino to your chest, and Growlithe follows Leon out into the night. You watch his shadow check around your camp, and you hear the carriage tarp rustle. He’s outside long enough for the chill of night to creep into your tent, replacing the warmth that you and him had hoarded.

“I don’t see anything,” Leon yawns as he ducks back into the tent. He closes the flap and crawls over to you. “Are you sure you’re not just jumpy from earlier?”

“Maybe,” you mutter as you stare at the space you saw the shadow. “I thought I saw someone standing right here.”

“If there was someone, it seems like they’ve run off. Maybe it was a Ghost Pokémon,” Leon says.

“Maybe,” you say as you hug Minccino closer. She squirms out of your arms in frustration, and you jump when Leon whispers your name.

“You’re safe here with me, okay?” he says softly. He gently sets his hand over yours. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I can sit outside for a bit to make sure no one comes by.”

“Counter proposal,” you mutter. “You stay in here with me.”

Leon chuckles and inches towards you.

“Counter proposal to your counter proposal,” he whispers. “We share your sleeping bag just so we don’t argue. That way you’ll feel nice and safe.”

You mull it over and squash your excitement with the platonic rationale that he’s just being a good friend.

“You make a compelling argument, sweet cheeks,” you whisper, and Leon chuckles.

“Hey, that nickname is reserved for Gramma Tut,” he says as he squints at you. “I’ll let it slide since you’ve had quite an eventful evening.”

He grabs the pillow he was using and sets it beneath your head. After unzipping the sleeping bag enough for him to fit too, you realize it’s a bit more snug than you were anticipating.

“I, um, I thought it was bigger than this,” you mumble as the heat flares in your cheeks. Leon is tangling himself around you, curling his arms around your waist and tucking his legs around yours. If you didn’t know any better, the fluidity in his movements makes it seem like he’s been eager for this exact moment too.

“I don’t mind if you don’t mind,” he says, until he quickly pops his head up. “U-unless you do mind, since the last time we were on this sleeping bag I was, uh, I-I, you know…”

“This is fine,” you say quickly. “I’m fine if you’re fine.”

“I’m fine,” he says.

“Me too.”

Leon pauses a moment, then continues adjusting himself against you. The sleeping bag barely zips with both of you in it, but something in you doesn’t mind much. It’s comforting to have him so close, and you can’t see any strange shadows when you’re facing his chest. Ah, he’s such a good friend.

Your breathing starts to slow, and the heat is easily trapped in the sleeping bag. Now that you aren’t so anxious about the shadows outside or the shadows hovering over your and Leon’s relationship, it’s a little easier to melt into his arms. It’s not like this is weird, either, since you both definitely agreed that you’re friends, and he’s being a thoughtful and caring friend and keeping you warm and safe, just like a good friend would. Just a good friend, just a good friend, just a good friend. You’re on the brink of sleep again when you feel Leon’s lips pressing against your forehead.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he breathes. His words are so quiet, so sweet, you’re not sure if he’s even talking to you.

“Hm?” you mumble, and his arms tense around you. It takes him a moment before he responds.

“I-it was just the berry juice, go back to sleep.”

“Mmkay,” you hum, and you nuzzle against him again.

He curls closer, and you quickly submit to sleep. It’s peaceful, restful, and rejuvenating. You have no strange dreams, you sleep through the night, and you can’t remember the last time you were so comfortable. Leon’s heartbeat against your ear, his arms curled around you, his legs tangled with yours; maybe it’s that, or maybe it’s his gentle words that finally pull you from your sweet dreams.

“We should probably get up soon,” he whispers. He squirms a bit, until he finally pulls his arm out to brush your hair from your face. “What do you think?”

“Mmm,” you mumble as you nuzzle into his chest again. His laugh rumbles through you.

“You make a compelling argument,” he whispers.

He presses his lips to your forehead again, and you let out a sigh despite yourself. Then you realize what just happened. Your eyes shoot open, and you flinch back, then flinch again when you hear the snap of a twig outside.

“You guys in there?” you hear Milo’s voice call.

It’s like his voice highlights how tangled you are with Leon, and how strange this is, especially since you both vehemently agreed that you’re just friends.

“Uh,” you both say in unison.

“I won’t come in, don’t worry,” Milo says, and you think you hear a faint chuckle.

“N-No, you’re fine!” you stutter as you try to unzip the sleeping bag.

“We weren’t-” Leon starts.

“We weren’t doing anything!” you finish, though you’re quickly reminded of how many love bites and hickeys you have littered on your skin, especially when Leon slips and presses his weight on top of you again.

Your heart stops, and you wonder if his does too, as he sets his elbows on either side of your head. Images from last night flash through your mind – Leon’s dilated eyes, his desperate kisses, his hungry touch. His hair is draping over you, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say that hunger flashes in his eyes for a split second.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Milo hums from outside the tent. “But when you finish up, we can head out.”

Your eyes widen again, and that blush flares in your cheeks, just as it does in Leon’s. He nimbly slides off of you and out of the sleeping bag, unzips the tent flap, and stumbles outside. You quickly follow suit to see Milo’s gaze flicking between you.

“Nothing happened,” Leon says quickly, and you nearly shove him for making that the least suspicious thing he could have said, especially as Milo’s eyes flick to Leon’s disheveled hair and clothes, your disheveled hair and clothes, and your multiple bruises, hickeys, love bites, and fat lip.

“Berries,” you say quickly, as if that single word will explain this embarrassing situation to Milo.

“You… want berries?” Milo repeats. “I’m sure there’s some around here, but we should probably get going soon. I do want to say sorry for showing up so late.”

“We just woke up,” you say. “You said you’d be back in the morning.”

Milo’s confused gaze flicks between you and Leon again, and he takes a moment to gather his thoughts.

“It’s… it’s past noon,” Milo says. “You guys just woke up?”

You and Leon look to each other, then back to Milo.

“I guess you had a pretty eventful night, hm?” he jokes with a knowing smile. “Glad you’re both feeling better about each other.”

“W-we didn’t,” you stutter again. “We’re not, um, it was just the berries.”

“Right, just friends,” Leon finishes. You both offer big, guilty smiles, as if your unstructured sentences are crystal clear and Milo knows and exactly what you’re trying to explain.

His eyes flick between you again, and you wish you didn’t have that guilty sweat shining on your face. Maybe he doesn’t notice.

“Of course,” Milo says. “Let’s get stuff packed up though, and we can head out.”

You and Leon both nod and immediately start tearing down camp as Milo hooks his Mudsdales back up to the cart. As Leon helps you pack up your tent, his hand brushes yours, and you both immediately flinch back. After a moment, he lets out an awkward laugh.

“I didn’t think we slept in so late,” he says quietly. “I guess we both really needed our sleep, huh.”

“Yeah,” you say. “Maybe sleeping together is good for us.”

You both pause again.

“I-I mean regular sleeping,” you cough out. “N-not, um, you know.”

“Right, yes of course,” Leon says. “I’m going to help Milo with the cart.”

“Yes, that’s good,” you say as Leon steps away from you. You heave out a sigh. “That’s a good idea.”

Charizard steps over to you and gives you an understanding pat on the shoulder. You hold your head in your hands and let out a groan.

“I’m not sure what’s worse,” you mutter to Charizard. “Fighting with him or being so awkward with him.”

Charizard shrugs, then leaves you to your thoughts. Your thoughts consist of ‘just friends you’re just friends you’re just friends’ repeating over and over. Are you this awkward with all of your other friends? Are you this attracted to your other friends? Are you possibly in love with your other friends? Best not think about those things much, and risk tainting your relationship further. At least you’re not fighting anymore.

You’re torn from your thoughts when Milo calls your name.

“Alright, you ready?” he calls from the cart. “Cart’s loaded up.”

You nod and head up to the front to sit beside Milo, only to see that Leon is already in your spot. You both start talking at the same time.

“Oh, I can-”

“I thought-”

You both pause, then start talking at the same time again.

“You can-”

“That’s okay, I can just-”

You both pause, and your eyes flick to Milo, who’s got a bemused smile on his face as he watches you two fumble.

“I’ll sit in the back,” you say quickly, and you turn before Leon has a chance to argue. Or before either of you have a chance to talk in unison again.

You hop onto the back, then flop into the hay with a groan. Well, that went swimmingly. You begrudgingly decide that you’ve never been so awkward with any of your other friends. The Mudsdales start forward, and the cart creaks as the wheels rumble over the dirt path. You’re content to watch the retreating forest path and pet Growlithe as he lays beside you, though your attention turns when you hear Milo’s faint voice.

“You both had a pretty eventful evening, hm?”

Leon groans.

“She’s got a thousand hickeys, Leon,” Milo continues softly. “You both finally made up?”

“Hardly,” Leon sighs. “I ate these rubbish Cootie berries in the forest and they made me go crazy. It was wonderful and terrible at the same time.”

“Cootie berries?” Milo repeats. “I’ve never heard of those.”

“Or Kombucha or Kumquat berries or something, I forget the name,” Leon says. “Whatever they’re called, apparently they’re a really powerful aphrodisiac. I ate a billion then went after her like some animal.”

You strain to hear their conversation as the road gets a little bumpy.

“You didn’t… you know…” Milo mutters.

“No,” Leon says. “We didn’t go any further than kissing. Well, she says we didn’t even _really_ kiss, I just gave her hickeys and bit her a lot, as you can see. It didn’t last that long, she pushed me off relatively quickly from what I remember.”

“Poor girl,” Milo says. “She’s had a weird couple days with you, huh?”

“That’s what I said,” Leon says. “She says she doesn’t hate me though, which I was a little surprised by. She said she wasn’t even mad that it happened.”

“Say you weren’t under the influence of strange berries,” Milo says. “And the same stuff happened. Do you think she would have liked it?”

Your eyes widen at Milo’s bold question. He’s treading dangerously close to breaking your trust, since you confided in him the day before about your feelings for Leon. But that was yesterday, before you determined you and Leon were just friends. You strain to hear Leon’s response.

“I don’t know,” Leon sighs. “I don’t really trust anything that I was thinking when I ate all those berries. Everything was really saturated, so it’s hard to tell.”

There’s a slight pause.

“Taking the berries out of the picture,” Milo says again. “Do you want her to have liked it?”

Your heart thumps at Milo’s question. You again strain to hear Leon’s response, but his voice is shrouded by the clink of supplies when the cart goes over a bump in the road. Milo chuckles at whatever Leon said, and you purse your lips in frustration. The cart rattles again, and by the time you can make out their words, their conversation has shifted, and Milo is talking about his Pokémon team.

They’re not talking about anything particularly interesting anymore, just finally catching up as old friends should, so you stop eavesdropping and watch the nature around you as the cart bumbles along.

You wonder if Leon wants you to have liked what happened last night. You did, maybe a little too much, but it’s not like you’ll reveal _that_ information to him or Milo. Memories from last night flash through your mind, and your face flushes because of it. If you were both coherent and consenting, how would he react if you were just as ambitious as he was? Leon’s hungry eyes, his desperate touch, how soft his lips were on you… How would they feel pressed against yours? How would it feel to kiss Leon? To return his hungry touch? To let your hands explore wherever they wanted, to feel a moan in his throat when your lips trailed downwards? How would he react if you tangled your fingers into his hair, and pulled? How would he react if you sucked at the spot on his neck right where his heart beat? How would he react if you left love bites and hickeys and fingerprint bruises over his skin? How would he react to your honeyed whispers, to your sweet kisses?

Maybe you shouldn’t be thinking so long about kissing Leon… especially now that you’ve decided you’re just friends. It takes a few tries, but you finally shove away those fantasies. Your curiosity about the next trading station seems to help, and your mind shifts to wondering how long it will take to get there. You also wonder about what your nights will be like. Milo said a three-day trip, but since he came back so late this morning you wonder how that’ll change things. Does Milo have a tent? Or something to sleep in? You’re not sure how you feel about sharing a tent with two large and attractive men. Maybe they can share, and you can sleep outside with the Pokémon. Hopefully there aren’t any creepy shadows again.

As you travel, the terrain slowly becomes more dynamic. The sprawling fields have shifted into hills, then into jagged cliffs. The few boulders that framed the dirt path have grown into cliffs taller than you, then taller than the cart, then taller than houses. There are even a few road signs cropping up warning about falling rocks. You must be traveling into the mountains that were on the horizon, and your eyes trail up the gray and brown cliffs until your gaze reaches the sky. It’s a bright blue, and it starkly contrasts the crisp gray of the rocks, and the deep green of the pine trees that speckle the tops of the hills. You’re again grateful for the strength of the Mudsdales, as the trail gets steep at some points – enough to have to brace yourself on the cart, and enough to hold onto Growlithe and Minccino so they don’t tumble out and down the hill. Milo stops at the top of one of the hills to close the back of the cart, so the supplies don’t fall out. Instead of dangling your legs over the back, you cross them and rest your chin on the wooden gate. The bumpy road rattles your teeth, so you don’t sit like that for very long.

“Once we cross this bridge we’ll be in the Giant’s Seat,” you hear Milo call back to you. “The Giant’s Seat is huge, though, so we still won’t get to the trading station for a while.”

You peer over the side of the cart just as the Mudsdales step onto the bridge. You gasp in wonder. The bridge is long, tall, sturdy, and the river beneath you is barely the size of a thread. You don’t want to think about how high up you are, but you trust Milo and his Mudsdales to cross it safely. You hold onto Growlithe, Minccino, and Dreepy, just in case they get any ideas about leaning too far over the edge.

There are Corvisquire and Corviknight flying above the river, but beneath the bridge, and they almost look like little toys because of how far down they are. You let a smile slip, and you reaffirm that you’re glad you started on your Pokémon journey.

You finish crossing the bridge and the mountains around you look similar to the mountains before the bridge, so you sit and watch the clouds for a while. The wind softly breezes over your face, and you curl into the hay with Growlithe, Minccino, and Dreepy for a midday nap. It doesn’t take long for you to fall asleep, as the gentle rumble of the cart is soothing, as are the light breeze and the chirps of the birds in the trees.

You’re not sure how long you’re sleeping, but your eyes flutter open when you feel the gentle shake of your shoulder.

“Hey,” Leon whispers. “You hungry?”

“Yeah,” you mumble as you come to. You stretch, and that spurs the Pokémon you were snuggled with to stretch as well. “What time is it?”

“Dinner time,” Leon chuckles. “You’ve been sleeping for a few hours.”

“Hours?” you repeat as you shake your head into focus. The blanket of dusk over the sky confirms it’s much later than you were anticipating. The landscape is even more dynamic than it was when you first started out – the cart is pulled off to the side of the road, where it quickly drops off after the fencing. You’re not sure if you want to see how steep the cliff is.

“You really haven’t been getting much sleep lately, hm?” Leon asks gently as he sits beside you. He plucks a few pieces of hay from your hair as you groggily start to wake. His hand brushes your cheek every so often, and your heart beats a little harder whenever it happens. “Milo’s found another spot we can stay for the night, hopefully you can sleep tonight after how long you’ve napped.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?” you grumble as you pick the hay out of your clothes.

“I tried,” Leon says. “But you just looked so cu- er, peaceful… With all the hay in your hair and all our Pokémon snuggled with you and stuff. I thought you might need your sleep after how eventful last night was.”

You nod mindlessly and stretch again. That hay was surprisingly comfortable, though your neck kind of hurts from how rumbly the path was. You speak before you can think.

“Can I have a back rub later?” you ask Leon. “My neck hurts.”

“Yes,” Leon says immediately. You wonder if he spoke before he thought, too.

“I’ve got a surprise for you two,” you hear Milo call. You and Leon hop off the back of the cart and walk to where he is. He’s parked the cart at another little campsite, and the picnic table here is filled with dishes of food. “Papa wanted me to bring you both another home-cooked meal. Said you’re both getting too skinny.”

Your and Leon’s faces break into huge grins at the assortment of delicious foods and scents wafting from the table. Your mouth immediately twinges, then waters, and you try to discreetly slurp back the drool.

“Your grandparents are incredible,” you enthuse as you take a seat at the picnic table. Your eyes scour the meal, and you wait for Milo and Leon to sit down too before digging in. You fill your plate to the brim, since you slept through both breakfast and lunch, and your grumbling stomach demands you scoop as much as you can.

You eat and you chat, and again, you and Leon groan at the flavor of Papa Put’s delicious cooking. He must be some sort of flavor wizard. You crunch down on a burnt piece of something, and Milo immediately tosses that dish into the woods as he apologetically mentions that Gramma Tut wanted to offer you both some cooking too. You don’t drink that weird orange sludge Milo warns you about, either.

As you eat, you look around your little campsite to see a few fire pits and picnic tables scattered throughout the trees. This must be a common stopping point. There aren’t any other travelers around, and part of you is glad that you don’t have to share your food. Maybe you should be more generous and be willing to share, but you haven’t eaten all day. As Leon and Milo argue about who would win in an arm wrestle, a Machamp or Grapploct, a thought pricks.

“How tired do you think your Mudsdales are?” you ask Milo. He looks over to them and shrugs.

“They’re probably alright,” he says. “These ones have a lot of stamina, but it wouldn’t hurt to let them rest tonight too. Why?”

“Maybe I can drive the cart for a while,” you suggest. “I’ve slept most of the day, and if we travel into the night, we can make up for lost time this morning.”

Milo purses his lips as he mulls over your offer.

“This part of the path is pretty straightforward,” he hums. “And they’ve gone this route a thousand times anyway, they could probably travel it without anyone to guide them…”

“You won’t like, drive us off a cliff or anything, will you?” Leon asks.

“Milo just said the Mudsdales would do all the work,” you huff. Milo chuckles.

“It’s true,” he says. “And Mudsdales have excellent night vision. That’s actually not a bad idea, I’m glad you thought of it. I have to agree with my Gramma when she said you’re beautiful _and_ clever.”

You blink a few times at Milo’s praise, and a smile breaks over your face. You bashfully wave him off, so you don't see how Leon’s brow furrows.

“If you’re fine with it, then I say let’s do it,” Milo says. “Leon and I can sleep in the back. Whenever you get tired, you can wake me up and I’ll take over. Or perhaps you can wake up Leon, and you and I can sleep together for a bit. If he’s fine with it, of course.”

You glance to Leon, who’s been chewing his dinner a little more forcefully than you anticipated.

“Leon?” Milo asks. “You don’t have to, I know you like your sleep.”

He shrugs. You and Milo wait for a response beyond that, but it doesn’t come. You finish dinner, and you offer to wash the dishes since you saw a little spigot at one of the other campsites. Milo offers to help, and he asks Leon to stay with the Mudsdales. He doesn’t argue, but you’re not sure if he was keen on agreeing.

Milo seems to be growing more comfortable around you, because he playfully splashes water at you while washing dishes. He says it was an accident, but that impish smile makes you think otherwise. You laugh and you chat with him, and you’re grateful to have found a new friend on your journey. You’re sure he’d let you come visit if you asked.

You finally finish washing the dishes, and the front of your clothes are soaked, thanks to Milo accidentally splashing you again. It actually was an accident that time, since he apologized profusely immediately after it happened. You tested the waters of your newfound friendship by teasing him about how he just wanted to see you in a wet t-shirt, and he heartily laughed and said that wasn’t his intention, but he was sure someone _else_ wouldn’t mind.

“You guys sounded like you were having fun,” Leon grumbles as you and Milo return to your little camp. His eyes trail down your frame, over your curves and how your wet shirt sticks to you, then he turns away.

“We got a little carried away,” Milo chuckles as he looks at you.

You shrug and set the dishes back into the bag they came in, then walk over to the cart. You hoist yourself onto the back of it to set the bag securely among the other supplies, but as you’re motioning to hop off again, your foot catches on some rope, and you trip forward. Instead of a mouthful of dirt like you were expecting, Milo quickly catches you, and your arms curl around his back. You’re gripping at his shirt as he lightly sets you on your feet, and the shock of what just happened is still pounding through your body.

“You alright?” Milo asks. “Guess I didn’t secure everything as well as I thought, sorry about that.”

“I’m okay,” you say after a moment as you slide your arms down.

You’re a little shaky from the shock of falling off a cart, so you don’t move very quickly. Milo’s hands have trailed to your hips to steady you as you try to catch your breath, and again you don’t notice how Leon’s brow furrows. The force of slamming into Milo has reverberated through your body, and your neck is even more sore than it was before.

“My neck kind of hurts, though,” you say. “That shock didn’t help.”

“Why don’t you sit down for a bit,” Milo suggests. “I’ll massage it for you. Living with old people has given me magic fingers, and I’m pretty good at working out sore spots.”

You chuckle and nod, and Milo guides you by the small of your back over to the fire pit. He sets his sweater on the ground for you to sit on, then he settles himself behind you. He wasn’t lying about having magic fingers, because his rough and calloused hands do a wonderful job at pushing out the knots and the soreness. You close your eyes to better enjoy the feeling, and again you’re glad to have found a new friend in Milo.

You don’t realize Leon never joined you until Milo’s finished, the crick in your neck is gone, and you’ve returned to the cart to start up again. Leon has already settled himself into the hay with Growlithe and Dreepy.

“Where’s Minccino?” you ask. You gasp when Leon turns to you.

“She’s hiding in the supplies,” he says.

He has scarlet scratches lining his cheek, and you clap your hand to your mouth.

“Are you okay?” you ask as you step towards him. “Did she-”

“I’m fine,” Leon grunts, and he turns away from you again. Guilt pangs in your heart when you realize that if Leon called for you, or cried out in shock or pain, you didn’t notice. “We should get going soon.”

Milo nods in agreement, offers Leon some comforting words, and walks over to the Mudsdales. He makes sure they’re alert and healthy by offering them some food and potions. He says he’s going back to the spigot to get some water for them, and he’ll be back in a few minutes.

“Sorry about her,” you say quietly. Leon shrugs and doesn’t respond. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

You don’t believe him, and you set your hands on your hips.

“Are you mad at me because she doesn’t like you?”

He doesn’t respond.

“I thought you said we weren’t going to fight anymore,” you say.

“And I thought you wouldn’t be throwing yourself at any man with a pulse.”

Your eyes widen, and Leon hops down from the back of the cart. He pushes past you, and you grip his wrist.

 _“Excuse me?”_ you ask incredulously. “What did you just say to me?”

“You heard me.”

“What is with you?” you spit.

Suddenly Leon whips around, pushes you against the side of the cart, and sets his hands on either side of your head. Your breath catches when he leans in.

“Maybe I don’t like it when you’re fawning all over Milo,” he growls. “Maybe I don’t like how he looks at you when your shirt is soaked, maybe I don’t like it when he touches you, maybe I don’t like the thought of you ‘ _sleeping_ with him.’”

Your brow furrows, and you wish your eyelids didn’t flutter like that whenever Leon is so close to you.

“What are you,” you whisper dangerously. “Jealous?”

“Maybe I am,” he growls in return. He presses against you, and that heat flares between you. “What’re you going to do about it?”

“I thought I wasn’t good enough for _the_ Leon,” you whisper as he leans closer. “What happened to being just friends?”

“Would a friend be pushing you against this cart?” Leon asks. “Would a friend try to sleep beside you every night since you met? Would a friend hate it every time another man even _looks_ at you?”

“You are jealous,” you whisper. You again feel the heat of his breath on your lips. “If we’re not just friends, then what are we, Leon?”

“You tell me.”

“Do you still want to kiss me?” you breathe.

Leon tangles his fingers into your hair. He’s tilting your head to him, letting his lips hover only inches from yours. Your response falters as he presses closer, as your frustration with each other flares in the air around you.

“Alright, you guys ready to-”

Your heads whip to Milo, who freezes when he sees Leon pressing you against the side of the cart.

“Oh, uh, sorry,” he mumbles awkwardly. “I-I’ll, just, uh, go over here.”

“You’re fine, Milo,” you say pointedly as you duck under Leon’s arm. “Leon was just mad that Minccino likes you more than him, since you’re not a fickle prick who’s too indecisive to figure out what he wants.”

Milo blinks a few times, and you hear how Leon exhales a deep breath.

“Oh, um, thanks?” Milo mumbles. “…I think…?”

You toss your hair behind you and sway your hips as you step to the front of the cart with him. Leon doesn't deserve your kiss if he's going to act so hot and cold.

“Have fun riding in the back, Leon,” you call as you hoist yourself up onto the cart. “I would’ve offered for you to ride up here with me, but _I_ know what I want, and I know what I _don’t_ want.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leon spits.

“Maybe you can figure it out in the _back_ of the cart,” you reply as you hold your head high. “Maybe you can chat with Milo about his _girlfriend_ and learn how to properly talk to women.”

“Girlfriend…?” Leon repeats. Milo is still awkwardly glancing between you two. Leon looks at him, he offers a nod and a shrug, then scurries to give the Mudsdales the water he fetched.

Leon’s grumbling some expletives, but you don’t listen to them and risk heightening your anger. Once Milo is done watering the Mudsdales, he awkwardly steps back to you, his eyes flick between you and Leon, and when you don’t say anything, he instructs you on how to guide the Mudsdales. After an uneasy pep talk, he heads to the back to secure everything and settle into sleep for the night. You call a goodnight to Milo, you don’t call a goodnight to Leon, and you rustle the reigns to get the Mudsdales to start forward.

Excitement replaces your frustration when you think of the looming adventure of driving Mudsdales through a mountain. It’ll be fun to add this bit to your Pokémon adventure, even though the Mudsdales will be doing all the work. Minccino has climbed to the front to sit with you, and your smile is glowing as you drive. Well, as you sit and hold the reigns. Milo has attached a little lantern beside you so you can see the path too.

After driving for a few minutes, and after acclimating to guiding the Mudsdales, you take the time to talk with Minccino.

“At first I was mad about you scratching Leon,” you say. She flicks her tail in protest. “But now I just think you’re a good judge of character.”

She turns her nose up and flicks her tail again.

“Don’t scratch anyone though, that’s mean.”

She pauses, nods, and you give her a pat on the head.

You guide the Mudsdales down the mountain path as night settles over the horizon. Anxiety builds in your stomach, and you wonder if it really was a good idea to drive alone at night on a mountain. You can hear the snores from Milo and Leon, so it’s just you and Minccino awake. The path is narrowing, and the cliff beside you is steep, and you can’t even see how far down it goes. The Mudsdales don’t seem perturbed by it, so perhaps it’s just you being unaccustomed to driving carts on mountains.

Your anxiety eases as the path widens again, and you drive for a few hours. You let out a yawn, and figure it’s a little after midnight at this point. Minccino has swapped with Growlithe, and he’s resting his head on your lap as you travel. Milo was right in saying that these Mudsdales know their stuff, because they have yet to hesitate in their steady stride. After you yawn again, you stretch, and you think it’s about time to pull off to the side and switch with Milo or set up camp for the night. As soon as you motion to turn into a clearing of trees, an unearthly moan echoes that chills you to the bone.

You haven’t heard that noise since.

Since.

Since.

No.

Please.

There it is again, and tears immediately prick in your eyes.

_Please._

Another moan.

It’s a Bewear.

Another moan.

Bewear.

And another.

Bewear.

And another and another and another.

Their unearthly moans are echoing through the trees, reverberating through the mountains, echoing in your ears and in your bones.

Bewear.

Bewear.

_Bewear._

Their cries are everywhere, anywhere, in your head and in the mountains.

The Mudsdales stop.

Bewear Bewear Bewear Bewear Bewear their moans grow louder and closer and faster and louder and closer and faster and faster and faster and-

And one jumps from the cliff above you, slams into the ground in front of you.

You can’t even scream as terror clings in your throat. Fear fills your lungs, and you can hardly stop them as the Mudsdales rear back, then charge forward.

The Bewear rolls to the side as the Mudsdales start sprinting, and you whip your head back to see the Bewear running through the dark. Another jumps from the mountain side, then another, and another. They’re herding and chasing you, and your vision flashes between this mountain and the Dappled Grove in the storm.

Lightning crashes.

Their moans fill your ears.

Trees fall.

Rocks tumble from the cliff side.

One hits you in the head.

You fall off the cart.

The wheel rolls over your arm.

You hear a crack.

You feel a crack.

There’s a burst of fire.

A flash of flames.

The thunder cracks into your skull.

Rain pounds into your face.

There’s an avalanche.

You gasp and catch yourself on the fencing, and as the herd races towards you, you find the courage to call out.

“Growlithe, Flamethrower!”

Another burst of fire erupts from beside you, and the Bewear shriek and fall back. One braves the blow, and retaliates with a Hammer Arm, but Growlithe ducks and rolls just in time. The force of the attack shakes the mountain, and more rocks tumble down.

“Again!” you call, and Growlithe obeys.

Another Bewear joins the first, and Growlithe lunges forward with a powerful Crunch. The Bewear roars, but as it rears back for another Hammer Arm, a high-pitched screech fills the air. It’s blasted back, then suddenly the moonlight around it starts to glow. The shine shimmers painfully, then it’s blasted back again.

You whip your head around when it’s catapulted backwards, only for the space to be filled with another Bewear. Growlithe’s Flamethrowers aren’t scaring them off like they had been, and soon you’re backed against the fencing overlooking the cliff. One rushes forward, smashes the fencing with its fists, punches you in the stomach, and you launch backwards. Soon all you see is sky, and you’re ready to fall and fall and fall, only to have the wind knocked out of you, and the image of the Bewear returns. You see a flash of pink, then a flash of silver. They’re glinting in the moonlight, and the Bewear are tripping backwards. You hear a hum beside your ear and turn to see a Munna floating beside you.

“Did you save me?” you ask it. It nods, but you don’t have time to respond, as it focuses another Moonblast at the Bewear.

You finally have a brief second to take in your surroundings. Growlithe is attacking with another Flamethrower, the Munna is honing another Moonblast, and you look to see more Munna, a Musharna, and a group of Pawniard and a Bisharp. They’re fending off the herd of Bewear, and you catch your breath enough to call forth more direction to Growlithe.

The battle rages, you’re not sure how long it lasts, and your heart pounds and sweat falls whenever the Bewear let out an unearthly roar. They’re dropping one by one, retreating into the trees, only to be replaced by more as each one falls. The wild Pokémon around you are superbly in-sync, and the same Munna always rushes behind you whenever you step too close to the cliff’s edge.

Growlithe unleashes a final blow to the last Bewear, it retreats into the forest, and the battlefield finally calms. Your heart is racing, your breath is coming in puffs, and as soon as you have time to process what’s just happened, you're reminded of the sharp pain shooting through your arm, in your stomach, and you fall to the ground in shock.

Through the haze of your vision, you see Growlithe sprinting to you. He’s nudging your face with his nose, letting out desperate whines. He turns to the Bisharp that’s slowly approaching you, barks a few times, and the Bisharp nods. Your vision blurs further, and you see a sphere of pink floating beside the spots of red and silver. Moonlight envelopes you, and a cooling sweetness swells in your stomach and arm. As you slowly fade in and out of consciousness, the last thing you see is the Bisharp reaching towards you.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are like ‘?? What happened to the chapter where (this other stuff) happened??’ or are like ‘is my email/Ao3 glitching I thought chap 12 already updated’ I did post it, only to take it down to re-edit for quality! For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, please ignore that lol and enjoy this (long awaited) chapter!

Your eyes snap open.

It’s quiet.

The leaves above your head aren’t moving.

You’re barely breathing, assessing everything you can without moving an inch.

Dark trees around you, ground beneath you, throbbing pain in your arm.

Stone in your hip, pine needles under your head, you can still move your body, though you don’t.

Are you even awake?

The moonlight is shining above you, blanketing over you in a silver sheen.

Normally you’d find it beautiful, but really it just feels like a cold sweat.

You risk twitching your thumb, though it doesn’t make a sound any louder than that faint ringing.

Is that your heartbeat in your ears? Or does that sound belong to something else?

The ringing is getting louder.

Louder still.

It’s raising the hair on your neck.

The hair on your arms.

It’s pooling the sweat behind your knees.

The last time you heard that you –

Memories flash behind your eyelids.

Wheat.

Boulders.

Hills.

Fog.

Future Sight.

The Combee and the Vespiquen.

The Kirlia and the -

You gasp and bolt upright, and Murray is staring you in the face.

“You’re stubborn,” he whispers.

You gasp and jolt backwards. Your heart pounds in your ears, slamming into your brain and into your veins as fear grips you. The moonlight is pulling the cold sweat from your skin, making it shine on your forehead in a grimy, translucent layer. You motion to crawl away from him, only to yelp when you set weight on your arm. Blast after blast of shock and pain shoots through you, silent and terrible, as you crumple down to immediately cradle your throbbing arm.

“Best not squirm,” Murray says. “You’ve broken it.”

Your face pinches when you try to hold back your whimper, try to hold back the hot tears stinging in your eyes, and his insulting chuckle only makes the pain worse. You manage to sit up, just to glare at him, though that draws another chuckle. He’s standing across from you, his arms loose at his sides, his one-tooth-too-many smile pulled across his face. It’s hard to see his expression through the blur of unshed tears. The moonlight is shining on him, too, coating him in a shimmering silver like a gossamer veil.

“Running straight into Bewear territory, where they’ve got all their cubs,” Murray says. “Stubborn and stupid.”

His posture, his stance – it’s the exact same you’ve seen hovering around your camp, standing perfectly still outside your tent.

“Have you been following me?” you hiss. Your voice is weaker than you had hoped. “You were at our last camp, weren’t you?”

Murray’s smile pulls wider.

“Leave me alone, you creep!” you yell, though you’re the only one that flinches at your sudden volume. You wonder if nature takes offense to your outburst, because suddenly the air gets a little colder.

“You have quite a bit of youthful fire, now don’t you?” Murray purrs, lackadaisically amused at your frustration. “As does Mr. Leon, wouldn’t you say? It’s understandable for him to have found a new…”

His sentences lolls, just as his gaze does when it trails down your frame. It’s like his eyes prick into every inch of you until he reaches your feet.

“Bit of candy,” he finishes.

“What do you want?” you sneer again. You want to search for Growlithe, for Leon, for Milo or any of your other Pokémon, but you don’t risk tearing your eyes from Murray.

“Do you know what I would say if he were here?” Murray asks.

“I don’t care,” you spit. “Leave me alone.”

“I would say,” Murray continues. “That this one is… rather tasty.”

His tongue slides over his crusted bottom lip. It’s a flicker of grayed pink, the same color of a dead cherry blossom.

“Where’s Growlithe?” you ask, still deliberately ignoring his taunts. “Where are Leon and Milo?”

“Why I’m afraid I have no idea,” Murray chuckles. A breath of relief fills your chest when Murray finally answers you, only to evaporate again when you process his answer. “I’m but a humble merchant selling humble wares. I do hope you’re in the market for something more interesting than food this time. Since we’ve last spoken, I’ve acquired a few new toys, if you and Mr. Leon are interested. I already have some fitting recommendations.”

You open your mouth to insult him again, but you whip your head around when you hear a loud crack. Is it Leon? Is it Growlithe? Is it any of those Pokémon who battled the Bewear with you? Those thoughts shoot through your mind as quick as a gunshot, and it’s barely a second before you turn back. But, when you do, Murray is an inch from your face. You flinch in shock, though his toothy smile has disappeared.

“Do you know what else I would say if Mr. Leon were here?” Murray whispers.

You flinch back again in anticipation of his putrid breath, but your brow furrows when you realize he has no aroma whatsoever. He’s talking quickly, much more quickly than the imperious drawl he’s been using thus far.

“I would say,” Murray continues. “’You aren’t keeping any secrets from her, are you, Mr. Leon?’”

Your brow furrows as you process his sentence.

“No… important details, you’ve left out?”

“What are you-”

“’Ah ah, Mr. Leon,’ is what I would say,” Murray whispers. You furrow your brow to keep up with how quickly he’s speaking. “’Your secret will be out soon enough. Ought you be the one to tell her?’ And do you know what Mr. Leon would say?”

“You don’t know Leon,” you spit. “You don’t know him like I do, you don’t know anything about him.”

“Mr. Leon would say,” Murray whispers, ignoring your rationale. He leans in again, until his beady eyes are all you can see. _“’I’ve made it this far.’”_

The dirty water of dread leaks into your skin.

How far is ‘this far’, you wonder subconsciously. He’s traveled far enough with you to trust him, far enough for you to hold him every night, far enough to wonder if you’re in love, far enough to let him do almost anything with you, including traveling through groves and fields and lakes while he slowly built your trust.

Anxiety bubbles in your throat. Everything that you’ve been thinking, everything you’ve been feeling – it’s throbbing in you, panging in your gut, gripping the base of your stomach and pulling up in fear.

Leon’s denials and suspicious rerouting, everything Murray is saying are words you wish you hadn’t been thinking this entire time. And, when you watch Murray step back, when you see him move for the first time, you wish that motion didn’t humanize him. You wish that motion didn’t occur, just so you could so blatantly ignore every word he’s speaking.

“I’ve met Mr. Leon before,” Murray says.

Your mind flashes back to the last Watt trading station, to when Leon so playfully used food coloring as a prank. What a simple memory, one you were fond of, and now it’s tinged with uncertainty, tinged with fear.

“Do you know _why_ Mr. Leon was out in the wilderness?” Murray asks.

“He was training,” you say. Your voice is feeble and weak, as if your body has accepted before your mind what Murray is trying to tell you.

“Was he?” Murray asks. “He’s got the whole country in a tizzy. Tut’s grandson said it himself, didn’t he? That they’ve sent multiple search parties out for him.”

“He was training,” you say again, as if the more often you say it, the more true your statement will become, the more true Leon’s statement will become, even though you aren’t convinced of the words now.

“Was it a search party?” Murray asks. “Or was it a _man hunt?”_

“Why are you telling me this?” you ask. “What do you want?”

“Where is he now?” Murray asks. “Will he turn himself in? He likes being away from the attention, doesn’t he? Why don’t you ask him? Oh, wait, I’m sure you have. He’s avoided the question, hasn’t he?”

Your voice finally cracks.

“What are you trying to do?” you ask Murray weakly. “What do you want from me?”

Suddenly Murray flickers. His gossamer veil begins to fade.

“I am not only a merchant,” Murray says quickly. “You don’t know what I’ve seen. You don’t know how many people I’ve seen lost in these lands, you don’t know what I’ve seen happen to them. You’re lucky I’ve followed you, you’re lucky I’m warning you about traveling with strange men in strange places. You’ve escaped my advice every time until now. Now that I’ve given it, take it for what you will.”

You swipe at Murray, and your hand goes straight through him. When you blink, he’s gone.

There’s a flicker in your periphery, you turn your head, just to see the retreating frame of a slender white figure wisping away, shimmering like the moon. White tailcoats flutter, the figure’s head turns, and you see the flash of scarlet eyes beneath bangs of green. As soon as you try to piece it together, a heavy fog rolls in, and you quickly succumb to the sleep that’s pushing into your mind.

You’ve never been much of a lucid dreamer, but this sleep seems strangely peaceful. Pinks and greens float through your mind like dyed spiderwebs in the wind. Murray’s figure fades into one that’s tall, slender, white and green, then your dreams shift into black.

When you wake again, it’s to the sound of Pokémon chirps and the sun glinting through your eyelids. Your eyebrows twitch as you are pulled from your restful sleep, but when you lift your head, your nose bumps something. You open your eyes and are met with the curious pink gaze of a Munna.

You blink.

The Munna blinks.

You blink again.

The Munna blinks again, then tilts her head.

You finally process that you’re awake, that there’s a Pokémon in your face, and you let out a yelp. The Munna squeals in delight, then bumps your cheek again, as if your frightened outburst was the beginning to some game. You wrinkle your nose when she nuzzles it.

“Can I help you?” you ask groggily as the Munna continuously bops around your head. You’d love it if she stopped pushing at you and squeaking in your ear, since going back to sleep sounds much more enjoyable especially now that you’re reminded of your broken arm and the stone that’s been digging into your hip all night… And the fact that you slept on the ground after almost falling off a cliff yesterday. Yeah, you’ve felt better.

Something emits a soothing hum, and you turn to see a Musharna floating a few feet from you. Other Munnas float beside her, and a few Pawniards rest in the grass. The Munna that was bumping your head quickly floats away, just to bump into the Musharna next.

You palm the sleep from your eyes as you try to process everything you’ve been through. Where are you? How did you get here? There was the Bewear attack, the avalanche, that Bisharp reaching towards you… then it was the moonlight shining on you, Murray talking with you, that strange shimmering figure…

“Where am I?” you ask. You’re not sure if you were even expecting an answer or not, but the Musharna doesn’t give one.

You look around to see you’re still lying in the grass, though when you sit up straight, you notice your arm is now cradled in a haphazard sling. It’s an old shirt, blanket, or maybe a scarf – you can’t really tell, but the fabric is worn enough so you can’t tell what the original color was. That’s the only change to your wardrobe or figure, though, besides a few bumps and bruises from the avalanche and battle. You can make out a few scratches here and there on the Musharna, and on the Munnas and Pawniards in the clearing, but none of them seem bothered by their injuries.

The sun is shining overhead, dappling light through the pine needles of the trees around you. You realize there isn’t actually much grass other than the patch you were laying on, and instead many of the Munnas and Pawniards are playing in nests of leaves and pine needles. Their bedding must have come from the trees around you – they’re tall, with dark bark and dark needles, and they all seem to slightly curve inward, as if to protect this little clearing from the outside world. You wonder if that happened naturally or not. The trees make a semi-circle, as the other edge of the clearing is blocked off by a stone cliff. You can see why these Pokémon chose this as a den of sorts, since it’s easy enough to watch for intruders. You wonder if there’s a water source nearby.

“Did you save me?” you ask. The Musharna hums, and again you’re not sure what that means. You assume it means ‘yes,’ seeing as you’re alive with a sling around your arm. The Munnas and Pawniards are playing together, so if they’re comfortable enough to play in this clearing, then perhaps you truly aren’t in danger.

You wonder where Murray went, where that figure went. You wonder if this Musharna was here when it happened, or if your interaction with him even happened at all. You wonder if Murray even was a ‘him.’ Is a ‘him.’ You’re not really sure what he is, or what he was, though something deep inside you doesn’t think you’ll see him again.

When the Musharna hums, you wonder if she can read thoughts. You wonder if that was a hum of affirmation.

You’re pulled from your wonderings when you hear the crunch of footsteps. Is it Murray back to taunt you? To warn you of some other danger? The Musharna, Munnas, and Pawniards don’t seem perturbed. Their easiness relieves the tension in your shoulders, and even more so when you see the Bisharp from yesterday emerge from the ferns. He has a gaggle of Pawniards around him, and a smile breaks over your face when you see who else is with them.

“Growlithe!” you call, and Growlithe yips in delight and charges towards you. He barrels into you immediately and fiercely starts licking your face, snuggling under your chin, bumping his wet nose into your cheek and into your ears. He barks a few times, licks your face again, then rushes back to the Bisharp’s side. He’s bumping his nose against a Pawniard, ushering him forward. The Pawniard trips, looks to you with big eyes, then trips forward again when Growlithe nudges him.

This Pawniard is small, definitely shy, and you let out a soft chuckle at the Pawniard’s hesitation. You hold your hand out slowly, and as he glances between your outstretched hand and the Bisharp, the Bisharp’s nod seems to encourage him. He takes a few gentle steps towards you and holds out his hands to reveal some Sitrus berries.

“Are these for me?” you ask kindly. The Pawniard nods quickly, dumps the berries into your palms, then scurries back to Bisharp’s side. You chuckle lightly, dust a berry off on your shirt, then pop it into your mouth. The flavor bursts, and the creamy juice replaces the tart dryness that was in your mouth before. You try to eat slowly, but your grumbling stomach doesn’t have patience for calm dining etiquette. You do force yourself to eat the berries one at a time instead of shoving them all into your face at once, though.

Growlithe has nestled beside you again and he lays his head on your lap when you sit cross-legged to face the Pokémon before you. You’re not sure where to start. Where are Leon and Milo? Where is Murray? Do they know who Murray is? Do they know what Murray is? What happened after the Bewear attack? How did you get here? Why are you here? How long have you been here? All of these questions and more flick through your brain, though you doubt any of them could be answered in a language you understand.

“I wish you could tell me what happened,” you sigh as you watch each of the Pokémon before you. The Pawniards have all left the Bisharp’s side and are either resting or playing with the other young Pokémon in the clearing. “I wish I could talk to Pokémon or something.”

You think back to when Leon talked with Charizard in that cave so long ago, and sadness clutches your gut. You try to shake it out by shaking your head. Your memories of Leon are tinged with suspicion now that you’ve had that strange conversation with Murray. Whether it was a dream or reality, his words have seeped into your bloodstream.

“You fought off the Bewear?” you ask the Bisharp and Musharna. The confusion of the present makes for a good distraction from Leon. The Musharna hums, and Bisharp gives a stoic nod. You nod too. Perhaps simple questions like these will get answers. “Does that happen often? Do the Bewear always attack travelers?”

The Musharna and Bisharp don’t answer. You wonder if the answer is complicated.

“Thanks for helping me,” you say. “Thanks for the sling and the berries.”

Another hum, another stoic nod. You’re not sure what to say next. You try to stand, but the Bisharp takes a step towards you and shakes his head. Your brow furrows, and when he points to a Munna sleeping in the grass, you purse your lips.

“You want me to sleep?” you ask. The Bisharp nods. “But I just woke up?”

Growlithe is curling into your lap, and he lets out a big yawn too. The Bisharp points to your arm.

“I know it has to heal, but,” you say. “I really need to go, I need to find my friends.”

The Bisharp shakes his head. One of the Munnas squeals, and your focus snaps to her – it’s the one that’s been bumping her face against every Pokémon there. She’s pantomiming something, and you squint your eyes as you try to figure it out.

She’s… dancing? No, that’s not right. She’s standing on her back feet, but it’s hard to tell because of how plump she is. She’s jumping? She wants… She wants you to pick her up? You reach towards her, and she squeals again. This squeal sounds different… was that supposed to be a growl?

The Pawniard that handed you the berries stumbles up next to her. His arms are easier to see than the nubs of the Munna, and he’s raising them threateningly. He lets out a meek roar, and the Munna lets out a (rather overdramatic) squeal, then flops to the ground.

Is that… do they want you to battle them?

“Growlithe?” you ask. “Use… um… Crunch?”

He yawns, but doesn’t move beyond that.

Hm.

The Pawniard is shaking his hands at you.

“Okay, okay, start over,” you say. The Munna and Pawniard take their places, and in your periphery, you see the Bisharp cross his arms in frustration. The Musharna lets out what you assume is a chuckle.

The Munna starts bouncing along, and you scratch your chin. Okay, she’s traveling. Then, the Pawniard jumps at her, the Munna squeals, then dramatically falls to the ground again. The Pawniard pantomimes a punch to the stomach, then he wiggles Munna’s arm while staring at you intently.

“Is Munna supposed to be me?” you ask, and Pawniard nods vigorously. “And you’re… a… Pawniard…? That broke her arm?”

Bisharp slaps his forehead.

Growlithe lets out a whine, and you glance down. He’s pawing at the scar on your thigh, then the sling that’s around your arm.

“…Bewear?” you ask cautiously.

The Munna bolts upward with a squeal, and the Pawniard clangs his steel blades together. Realization dawns, and you let out a long ‘ _Ooh.’_

“The Bewear are still around?” you ask, and every single Pokémon in the clearing nods. Ah, so that’s it. You suppose you could stay here for a little longer, if that’s the case. You don’t really want to fight a Bewear with one arm. “When will they be gone?”

Bisharp sets one of his blades into the ground, and you peer into the dirt to see he’s drawing something. A semicircle, an arrow, three lines. Your brow furrows. He meets your eye, gestures around the clearing, then points to the semicircle.

“So that’s us,” you say, and the Bisharp nods. He retraces the arrow with his blade. “And we can leave with… three?”

He draws a circle with little lines coming out of it, then points to the sky.

“The sun? Three suns?”

He lets out a huff and shakes his head. He draws another arrow.

“The sun is… going down.”

The Bisharp nods, and the Pawniard that was pantomiming earlier clangs his blades together.

“That’s a day,” you continue, and the Bisharp nods again. When the Bisharp points to the three lines, your eyes widen. “Three days? You’re keeping me here for three days?”

The Bisharp nods.

“No,” you say. “No, I can’t stay here that long. I’ve got to go find my-”

You stop talking when the Bisharp holds up his arm. There’s a rustle in the bushes, and suddenly a Stufful tumbles out.

Your skin pricks when you hear a moan in the distance. They can’t be back, not already, you just, you can’t, you’re only, you just, you can’t-

The Musharna floats in front of your head, and the mist swirling from her is strangely hypnotic. It’s calming, peaceful, and before you can think anything else, you succumb to sleep again.

Your dreams are pink this time.

When you wake (after scolding the Musharna for using Hypnosis on you without your permission), you humbly accept the Pokémon’s warnings. They immediately battled at your side when the Bewear ambushed you after that avalanche, so perhaps their caution is grounded.

“Are the Bewear gone?” you ask Musharna. She nods. The Pokémon don’t seem injured, but the Bisharp is agitated at least, though you’re not sure if that’s just normal for him.

The camp doesn’t seem bothered either, and none of the nests have been scattered. Your eyes trail along the ground until they reach the drawing Bisharp made earlier. You purse your lips when you process those three lines again.

…Three days.

The Bewear are around and apparently dangerous for at least the next three days. Are they on some sort of traveling calendar? What are you supposed to do for three days? Just sit here in the dirt and twiddle your thumbs? Bisharp tenses when you stand, and you hold your hands out in reassurance.

“I’m just going to look around,” you say. He quickly shakes his head and stands at the entrance to the clearing. You set your hands on your hips. “What about food? And water?”

Bisharp gestures to a pile of berries that’s sitting on a rock, and you try your hardest not to look ungrateful. Eating berries for three days… how… filling. You eat a couple, and give Bisharp a thumbs up. That seems to appease him, so he goes to sit on a rock and sharpen his blades.

Well, there are a lot of Pokémon here, perhaps you could at least train. You spend time healing, training Growlithe, and playing with the Munnas and Pawniards. The Munna that bumped your face continues to bump your face, and the Pawniard that offered you berries often glances at you, only to bashfully look away when you meet his gaze. The third time it happens, you step over to him.

“Say, Pawniard,” you hum with a sneaky smile. “Wanna battle?”

Pawniard’s eyes grow wide, and he flicks his head around. You’re sure he’s looking for some backup, but Bisharp is busy sharpening his blades, Musharna is sleeping, and the rest of the Pokémon are doodling around with their own business. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say you just saw a bead of sweat drip down Pawniard’s cheek.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” you enthuse, though Pawniard continues to search for some assistance. It doesn’t come, he heaves out a sigh, then trudges towards you. Growlithe trots over at the sound of the word ‘battle,’ and he’s already taken his place across from Pawniard. “Just a little bit, I want to see what you can do!”

Pawniard reluctantly agrees. You send Growlithe forth with a Crunch, and Pawniard quickly dodges. Your smile shines immediately.

“Ooh,” you coo. “You’re quick!”

Pawniard’s gaze flicks to the side, but that bashful distraction is certainly a weak spot. Growlithe lunges forward again when Pawniard’s unfocused, and quickly pins him.

“You’ve gotta stay alert, Pawniard,” you say. “Have confidence in your abilities!”

Growlithe takes his weight off and steps across from Pawniard again. His bashful countenance has shifted into determination, and he runs forth with a Slash. You watch Growlithe and Pawniard battle, and you calculate their abilities, their weaknesses, and their strengths as they roll and battle in the dirt. Pawniard is certainly powerful, and you can understand why Bisharp often has him at his side. When the two Pokémon are sweating and panting, you call it off at a draw, especially since you don’t have any potions with you.

“Good work, both of you,” you enthuse as you give them both a pat. They both eagerly accept your praise, and Pawniard glances to Bisharp, who had been watching the battle. When he gives a small nod, Pawniard nearly glows with joy.

You turn to have a few more berries, only to flinch back when there’s a Munna in your face.

“What, you want to battle too?”

She squeals, and Growlithe yips in excitement.

“Well, if you’re fine,” you say to Growlithe. He barks again, and takes his stance.

There’s a few Flamethrowers, Crunches, Psychics and Zen Headbutts, until Growlithe flops into the dirt.

“Alright, that’s enough,” you say, and Munna flops next to him. “Good work you two.”

You play with the other Munnas and Pawniards, though when you go to bother Bisharp, he gives you a glare that quickly turns you back around. Musharna sleeps for most of the day, so she’s not much fun either. You enjoy your time with the Pokémon, but that doesn’t mean you’re not terribly antsy. You could be traveling, you could be looking for Leon and Milo, you could be making your way to the next trading station. You let out a mournful sigh, but every time you try to sneak away, Bisharp blocks your path with his blades.

The sun finally sets, and you have no idea how you’ll survive another two days of this. You get along well with that Munna and Pawniard, and if you had your Poké Balls with you, you’d certainly offer for them to join your team. Perhaps they’d like to anyway, that’s what Minccino did. But, besides that, there really isn’t much to do that isn’t twiddling your thumbs.

Night isn’t fun either. You toss and you turn, and Growlithe gives a mournful whine every time you shift positions. He snuggles against your stomach, though that only helps a little.

You wish Leon were here.

You wish Leon were here, his arms wrapped around you, his warmth pressing into you, his smile so close to yours. You wish you could talk to him, talk to him about anything, everything, nothing. You’d rather fight with him than not have him here at all.

Growlithe licks the tears that are rolling down your cheeks.

You wish you could hear his laugh, you wish you could hear his thoughts, you wish you could listen to him fumble as he tries to ask to sleep with you.

You sniffle as quietly as you can.

You miss him. You miss him and his smile and his thoughts and his eyes and his laugh and his fumbling and his kindness and his curious hands and his bouts of jealousy and his playfulness and the way he would look at you. Your bones ache because of how much you miss him.

He might not even be around.

He might not even be alive.

You don’t entertain that thought, because immediately a cracked sob escapes louder than you wanted. Growlithe whines again, and you hug him tightly.

“I miss him,” you say aloud, though you wish you didn’t. Saying those words out loud stitch them into reality, and now your bones throb with sorrow. They rattle with each quiet sob.

Do you even know Leon? Do you even know the man you’ve spent so many nights with? You thought you did. There are elements of him that you know you know, but there’s so much about him that you don’t. Why was he out in the wild for a month? Was he really just out here to train? What was he running from?

You stroke your fingers through Growlithe’s fur.

“Growlithe?” you ask softly. He meets your eyes. “Do you trust Leon?”

He tilts his head, and you let out a sigh.

“Do you trust Murray?”

Growlithe lets out a snort of frustration.

“I know,” you say quietly. “But what he said… it made too much sense.”

It plagues your mind, what Murray said, as the moonlight shines over you again. You want more than anything to see Leon again, and at the same time, you’re terrified. Everything Murray mentioned, everything he told you; it all lines up too well to the fears that have been growing. You wish you didn’t trust him, you wish you didn’t believe him, and you wish you didn’t think about his words so often.

If you ever see Leon again, you need to know. You need to know who he is, really, and as the moon casts a protective glow over you, you decide. The question that’s been looming, the wonderings you’ve been having, finally come to a culmination:

Either Leon tells you the truth, or you’ll leave him for good.

It’s a bittersweet revelation, yet one you could see coming for a while, whether you admitted it to yourself or not. The tears tumble down your cheeks again, and you hold Growlithe close, so his fur muffles your cries.

You’ll miss him. If he doesn’t tell you, you’ll never see him again, and that thought seems to grip your heart a tear a chunk out. But you’ll have to. You’ll have to leave him if he won’t tell you. You can’t live with that, with not knowing who he is.

Your cries ebb into whimpers, then into sniffles, then into a yawn. Growlithe has already fallen asleep, and you’re hoping you’re soon to follow. Your eyes are sore, your chest is sore, and your throat is raw from trying to quiet your sorrow.

Perhaps you can think about simple things, like the pine needles under your head. You count them, just as you would count Wooloo when trying to sleep.

Leon’s brother Hop liked Wooloo. He has a Wooloo. That was one of the first things Leon told you when you met, when you were bleeding out after the Bewear attack.

You wish Leon were here.

You clench your fists in frustration. Is Leon all you can think about? What did you think about before you met him?

Pokémon. The berry shop. Starting an adventure. That was it, really.

And here you are, on the adventure of a lifetime.

You didn’t think it would hurt so much.

That’s the final thought you have as the moon casts its blanket of soft light over you. It cradles you, holds you gently, and you finally fall asleep.

You don’t dream about any colors this time, though there’s quite a bit of pink when you open your eyes.

“Munna!” you yelp. “Stop that!”

She squeals and bumps against your face, and you sigh dejectedly. Growlithe doesn’t seem to mind, and he licks her face after he licks yours.

As you start to grumpily greet the morning, thoughts from last night drip into your mind again.

You’ve already made your decision, and the light of the sun seems to solidify it in your mind. You try not to think about Leon much. It helps that a Stufful tumbles into your little camp every so often, and every time one does, you freeze, but nothing ever comes next. You even saw the flash of a Bewear. It didn’t come barreling after you, but rather, it came to collect the Stufful that wandered away. Even when it met your eye once, it simply looked away and shooed the Stufful back into the ferns.

You try not to think about Bewear too much either.

A day passes just as slowly as the first, and saying you’re antsy would be the understatement of the century. Your thoughts constantly drift to Leon and Milo, as to where they are, and if they’re safe. You still have no idea what happened on the other side of that avalanche, and you don’t let yourself think about the possibility that they might not even be around anymore.

You play and you train and you guiltily wonder where your friends are. Where is Minccino? Is she safe? You hope so, but again, that’s all you can do.

Your second night isn’t any better. Your arm is sore, throbbing painfully, but it’s not as bad as how much your heart hurts. You don’t sleep at all the second night.

And the third day comes, but Bisharp still clangs his blades together whenever you try to say goodbye. Even Munna bumps against your stomach to push you back every time you step to the edge of the clearing.

“It’s been three days,” you say desperately to the Bisharp. “I need to leave. I’m getting hungry, these berries aren’t enough anyway. I need to start traveling again, I need to find the Watt trading station and find my friends.”

Bisharp shakes his head again, just as you thought he might, but when you motion to retort, a sound catches your attention. The sound is rustling, crunching, as if something is tearing through the forest and towards you. The Pokémon around you aren’t bothered by it, but you step away from the forest threshold, and usher Growlithe in front of you. He’s barking, but not in a way that’s warning. Your brow furrows, and when you go to ask what he’s barking at, a man stumbles into the clearing.

It takes you a moment to scan his features – greasy hair, bags under his eyes, dirty clothes – and you gasp.

“Leon?”

“It’s you,” he whispers. Immediately fat tears begin to tumble from his eyes, so heavy that they don’t gracefully trail down his cheeks, but fall straight into the dirt beneath his feet. “I finally found you.”

You’ve been imagining your reunion almost every second of every day, and everything Murray said evaporates the second you see the relief in Leon’s eyes. You run to him, and he to you, and you quickly and desperately wrap your arms around one another. Even though pain flares in your arm, you don’t let go. His hoodie is damp, his hold is desperate, and his sobs rack against your body.

“You’re alive,” Leon whispers through cracked breaths. He isn’t even trying to hide this bittersweet sorrow as he holds your head to his chest, and his tears are tumbling into your hair. “You’re okay, I’m so glad you’re okay, I finally found you.”

You pull away just an inch to see his face, but Leon desperately pulls you back.

“Please,” he whispers through another cracked breath. You’re not sure what he’s referring to, but you nod and squeeze him against you as hard as you can. His greasy hair is leaving a faint residue over your arms and your hands, and moisture beads out of his sweater when you clutch at it.

Time doesn’t exist anymore as Leon holds you, and as you hold him. The only measurement of minutes passing is how Leon’s sobs slowly quiet, how his cracked breaths slowly soften. He’s still holding you to him, his hand tangled in your hair, holding your head to his chest.

“I’m crying like a Sobble,” Leon whispers into your hair after a while. “I just… I-I…”

You squeeze him tighter. You want to say something deep and meaningful, something like how he doesn’t have to justify feelings, but you only nod in response. He seems to understand anyway, and he rests his forehead on the top of your head.

“Are you alright?” he whispers. You nod.

“These Pokémon fought off the Bewear with me,” you say through your own sniffles. You’d gesture to the Bisharp and Musharna, but you don’t want to release your hold. “They’ve been watching over me these past few days.”

“I’ve been so worried about you,” he says as he holds you closer. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

He finally leans back and cups your face in his hands. His eyes are red and glassy, and the view draws tears from your eyes too. He isn’t looking that great, and to think he was so worried about you and your safety makes your nose run.

“Are you okay?” you ask in return. “Where’s Milo? Where’s Charizard and Dreepy and Minccino?”

“He’s looking for you too, everyone’s looking for you,” Leon explains. “We outran the Bewear, then came back and searched everywhere after the avalanche, but we couldn’t find you or Growlithe. After searching that area, Milo thought you’d try to make it to the trading station yourself. He traveled there with the Mudsdales and got a search party started.”

He pulls you into another hug.

“And the Pokémon are probably catching up,” he says as he holds your head to his chest again. “I thought I heard your voice and I didn’t think about anything else, I just started running.”

“Oh Leon,” you breathe, and you clutch him close to you. The thrum of his heartbeat against your ear is the sweetest sound you’ve ever heard.

Suddenly Growlithe yips, and when the leaves rustle, you turn your head. Charizard, Dreepy, and Minccino have arrived, and once they take in the scene, they immediately rush over to you too. Minccino climbs up your shoulder, Dreepy curls into your hair, and Charizard folds his wings over you and Leon to pull you into a hug too.

“It’s so good to see you all again,” you say through your sniffles. “Thank you for looking for me.”

Minccino bumps her head against your temple, then does it again and again as purrs loudly resonate through her body. Charizard licks your face a few times, and that spurs a laugh from you. The sound makes Leon curl his arms around you tighter.

“You’re never leaving my sight again,” Leon mutters. “Arceus, I could hardly breathe the entire time you were gone.”

“And I thought you guys were crushed by the avalanche, or attacked by the Bewear too,” you say. “I got hit a few times, and these Pokémon took me to this little camp and helped take care of me.”

You finally release your grip on Leon to gesture to the wild Pokémon that have been watching your reunion. Munna is spinning in a delighted circle, and upon your gesture, she races over to you too. She bumps her face against Leon’s, and he blinks a few times.

“Is this…?” he asks.

“Munna,” you chuckle. “And, I’ve made friends with a Pawniard.”

You gesture to Pawniard, who is bashfully hiding behind Bisharp. You coax him over, and at your encouragement, he puffs out his chest and struts over to you.

“They’re both the sweetest little things,” you chuckle. Pawniard’s bravado deflates when Leon reaches down to him, but after a few cautious glances to Leon, he shakes his hand.

“He’s brave,” Leon smiles, and Pawniard puffs out his chest again. “And your Munna seems awfully friendly. I’ve never had my face smushed against a Munna before.”

“I’d get used to it, honestly,” you laugh, and Munna gleefully bumps against your face next. She smushes her face against Minccino’s too, and Minccino nearly falls off your shoulder because of it. “She’s not _technically_ my Munna, but I have a feeling she’ll follow me out of here.”

Munna smushes against your hair, and you take that as a signal that your prediction will come true.

“Speaking of your Pokémon, I’ve got good news,” Leon says. He’s still holding you against him, but his free hand scratches Minccino under the chin. “Me and Minccino are mates now. Looks like now that we had a common goal of finding you, she warmed up to me.”

“About time,” you chuckle. You gaze at the scratches on Leon’s face that she gave him before you were separated, and you brush your thumb beside them. “Looks like these are healing well enough.”

You motion to give Minccino a pat too, but Leon catches your hand, then holds it against his cheek.

“I’ve missed you,” he breathes. The tenderness in his words makes the tears well in your eyes again.

“I’ve missed you too,” you say. “Thank you for looking for me. I couldn’t leave, just in case the Bewear came back.”

Leon nods, shifts your hand to his lips, and kisses your palm. You don’t have much time to respond, because he folds his arms around you again and slumps into you.

“You’re welcome,” he breathes, and you chuckle and pat his back. You’re not sure if he wants another hug, or if he just doesn’t feel like using all his strength to stand.

“Are you tired?” you ask.

“Hm,” is all he responds with.

“When was the last time you slept, Leon?” you ask gently as you comb through his hair. It leaves a faint, greasy residue on your fingers, but you ignore it in favor of how Leon nestles against you.

“In the cart,” he mumbles, and it’s like even speaking of sleeping forces a big yawn from him.

“The cart?” you repeat. “Like, before the Bewear attack?”

He hums, and your eyes widen. You have to push him off of you to properly see his face.

“Leon!” you yelp. “You haven’t slept since we were separated?”

“No,” he says with a guilty smile. “It’s okay though, I’ve had some caffeine.”

“No wonder you look so exhausted,” you say, and he slumps into another hug. “It honestly took me a second to recognize you when you first came in.”

“I couldn’t sleep even when I tried,” Leon explains, and a yawn fills his sentence again. “But now I know you’re safe.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t slept in days,” you say incredulously. Leon shrugs.

You hold him for a minute, then a minute more, and you watch your Pokémon excitedly interact with one another. You chuckle at Charizard’s grumbling when Munna bumps her face against his cheek. Suddenly Leon bolts back and desperately grips your shoulders.

“And I have to tell you something,” he says. “Something big.”

“Okay?” you say. “What is it?”

Leon glances around and bites his lip.

“B-but not here,” he says. “And not yet. It has to be better than this.”

“Okay…?” you say again. “When will you tell me?”

“Um,” Leon says as he searches your eyes. “Never mind, actually.”

“Leon,” you say gently. “I want to hear what you have to say, but you haven’t slept in days. I’ve got a broken arm anyway, so why don’t we fix ourselves up first? I… I have something to tell you too. Something to ask you, actually.”

You don’t tell him about Murray, but the decision you made sits like a stone grave in your heart.

“That’s a good idea. But… your arm is broken?” Leon asks as his brow furrows. He finally steps back, and gently holds your arm to observe the sling.

“I think so,” you say. “It doesn’t hurt as bad as it did, and these Pokémon helped me make a sling for now, but I should probably let a doctor look at it.”

Leon nods, trails his hand down to yours, and gives it a squeeze.

“There’s a medic at the next trading station,” he says. “But I don’t know where it is compared to here.”

You hear a clang and turn to see the Bisharp clinking his blades together. After he’s gotten your attention, he points to Pawniard.

“Pawniard?” you ask. “Do you know how to get to the Watt trading station?”

Pawniard looks between you and Bisharp, then nods.

“Can you take us there?” you ask.

Pawniard shifts between his feet, and glances to Bisharp again. Bisharp steps over, kneels before Pawniard, and sets his blade on his shoulder. They make no sound, but the tenderness in his eyes lets you know that there is plenty being said between them. Pawniard nods, shakes for a moment, then rushes forward to give Bisharp a hug. Bisharp pauses, and you see a glimmer in his eyes as he pats Pawniard on the back.

Their embrace is over quickly, and Pawniard turns to you with a renewed confidence. He puffs out his chest again, and gestures towards the forest path.

“Let’s wait for Munna,” you tell him, and he nods. You turn and let out a laugh to see her bumping against every Munna, every Pawniard, then Musharna. She approaches Bisharp, you see a dangerous and warning glint in Bisharp’s eyes, but Munna doesn’t seem to read it properly. She gives a delighted squeal and bumps her face against Bisharp’s cheek. After a nuzzle, Bisharp gives her an awkward pat on the head. She gleefully floats over to you, and you take that as she’s ready to head out too.

“Thank you for everything,” you tell the Bisharp and Musharna. “I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you all didn’t come along.”

Musharna gives a peaceful hum, and Bisharp gives a stoic nod.

“I promise I’ll take good care of Munna and Pawniard,” you tell them. “I won’t let you down.”

They both nod again, and you finally turn to follow Pawniard down the forest path. When your hand brushes Leon’s, you muster up the courage to weave your fingers around his. He glances to you, smiles so sweetly, and gives your hand a squeeze. Even as you walk through the forest, it seems he has no intent of letting go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, the long awaited Chapter 12. Thanks for your patience, y'all!! School’s been kicking my butt, & I really hope the quality in this one was up to snuff. I hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> (ALSO i really wish there was a dm/pm feature on Ao3, but since there isn’t, please always feel free to reach out on tumblr if you want to chat in a place that isn’t this comments section!! Or ask questions or whatever. Same username of @missusk. I will be OVER the MOON excited to hear from you 😊 😊 😊 😊)


	13. Chapter 13

You follow Pawniard for what’s probably a few hours, twisting and turning through the mountains and pine trees that rise above you. You ask Leon what he’s been doing these past few days and what happened after the Bewear attack, but he doesn’t say much beyond what he’s already told you. The bags beneath his eyes are deep and purple, so after he answers your questions, after you answer his, you walk in silence, still hand-in-hand.

Your lack of substantial food and Leon’s lack of substantial sleep makes the trek challenging at points, but beyond a bit of stumbling here and there, your walk is peaceful. The soft sounds of rustling trees and a light breeze coast around you, and the baby blue of the sky slowly fades into a light pink.

The pine trees are like skyscrapers around you, tall and looming and flickering sporadically in the light of the setting sun. Leaves crunch beneath your feet as you follow Pawniard, and Munna and Growlithe plow into the leaf piles whenever you pass one. Whenever you chuckle at their antics, Leon looks at you and smiles. You jolted when Charizard roared once when Munna kept bumping her face against his, so she settled for floating beside Dreepy instead. Beyond that, your walk is quiet.

As the pinks of sunset thread into the lavender of dusk, the trees around you begin to thin. The sparse trail Pawniard has been leading you down is thickening, and soon you step onto a wide trail that’s laden with footprints and carriage tracks.

“We must be getting close, huh, Pawniard?” you ask. He looks back at you and nods, and you wonder if he’s trying to offer you a stoic nod like Bisharp always did. You offer a kind smile in return, and Pawniard bashfully looks ahead again.

You know the Watt trading station the second you see it, though it looks nothing like the one in the West Lake Axewell. The buildings are smaller, colorful, painted in bold oranges and deep pinks and vibrant greens. A few have murals of Pokémon or flowers or poems, and you gaze in wonder as you walk towards them. The cabins are speckled sporadically on the ground, some are sitting on wooden porches when the land steepens, and your jaw drops when your eyes follow up the mountainside. Buildings and cabins are attached directly to the rocks, hanging off the side of the cliff as if they were nothing more than simple bold, wooden cliffside boxes stapled to the mountain. Stairs connect some of them, with railings made of thick rope, but there are plenty that aren’t connected by stairs at all.

As you take in as much as you can as quickly as you can, it’s not just the colorful buildings on the side of the cliff that catch your attention, but the elaborate ropes and pulleys that tie all of them together. There’s platforms and hooks and all sorts of contraptions that connect one cabin to the next, then to the windmill that’s sticking sideways out of the side of the cliff. There are colorful people and colorful Pokémon bustling around this colorful station, and you unintentionally squeeze Leon’s hand when you let out a gasp of wonder.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Leon says with a grin. “Wait until you see how you get up to our cabin.”

Munna is practically vibrating in excitement, and even Pawniard turns back to you with a glow in his eyes. You give him a pat on the head as thanks, then you all finish your journey to the Watt trading station. Before you pass under the archway that signals your official arrival, you kneel in front of Pawniard and Munna.

“I know we’ve spent a lot of time together these past few days,” you tell them. They’re gazing at your curiously, both tilting their heads, though Munna’s entire body tilts a few degrees. Leon seems to know where you’re taking this conversation, and he hands you two Poké Balls from his bag, which you then offer to Munna and Pawniard. “And I want to invite you both to join me, Growlithe, and Minccino. We can battle, and if you both choose it, I want to adventure with you too.”

It hardly takes a second before Munna barrels towards you and knocks you back with a delighted squeal. Before you have a chance to tell her you need to battle first, she’s already grabbed the Poké Ball from your hand and in a brief shimmer of light, your Poké Ball rolls three times, then clicks.

You and Growlithe both blink a few times, glance at each other, then back to the Poké Ball.

“Hey, your third Pokémon,” Leon smiles. “Congrats.”

“Uh,” you mutter. “Thanks.”

That was a little anticlimactic.

Pawniard doesn’t seem so eager, but rather, determined. He squares his shoulders, takes his place across from you, and clangs his blades together. Minccino is squeaking beside your ear, and when you nod, she leaps off your shoulder and readies herself against Pawniard.

“Minccino, attack with Slam!” you call.

Minccino rushes forth in agreement, darts behind, then around Pawniard, and slams against him from behind. He trips forward, then retaliates with his own Slash attack. They skirt back and forth, around and under each other, kicking up dust as the Watt trading station archway frames your battle. Pawniard is powerful, and your heart races and a grin spreads over your face at his crisp movements.

You’ve had mock battles with Growlithe and the wild Pokémon these past few days, and passion flares in your veins to battle with Minccino again. Although she never disobeyed you to begin with, Minccino heeds your call with extra vigor as you reunite through this battle. It wages for a while and you’re glad, because it seems Pawniard is testing you just as much as you’re testing him. When he falls to the ground and heaves deep breaths, you finally ground yourself, focus, aim, and hurl your Poké Ball at him. It _tinks_ against him, square in the chest, and he disappears in a flash of light. The ball rolls once, twice, three times, clicks, and you now have four Pokémon on your team.

“Ace work, Minccino!” you cheer, and you rush to her, then scoop her up. She doesn’t have the energy to crawl up your shoulder herself, so you give her a hug, and set her there. “I’m so proud of you, amazing job!”

She squeaks and weakly bumps your cheek with her face, then slumps onto your shoulder. You chuckle, give her another pat, then return her to her Poké Ball to rest. Growlithe is running around you, just as excited as you, weaving through your legs in excitement for his new team members. After a few pats to him, Leon hands you his Poké Ball so he can rest as well.

“You’ve really grown,” Leon says quietly, and your attention shifts. He’s gazing at you fondly, eyes still drooping from exhaustion. You glance around to see he’s returned his Pokémon as well, so it’s just the two of you standing in the grand archway of the Watt trading station.

“Thank you,” you say as your smile grows. “I’ve got not only one, but _two_ new team members.”

“They’re excited to work with you,” Leon says.

His eyes are boring into yours, searching and scanning for something, though you can’t decipher what he could be looking for. He lets out a deep sigh, and you wonder why. His gaze is so… tender… it’s making you embarrassed. It’s probably just because he’s so tired. You motion to turn, only for Leon to gently cup your shoulder.

“I mean it,” he says. “I’m proud of you.”

_I’m proud of you._

_I’m proud of you._

_I’m proud of you._

Those words echo in your head, fill in the crevices of longing that you didn’t even know were there. You’ve been proud of yourself, and Leon said that to you the last time you caught a Pokémon, but the way he’s looking at you as he cups your shoulder fills in that craving for affirmation you’ve had your entire journey.

“Thank you,” you say quietly. Leon nods, but doesn’t stop staring. It reminds of you of so long ago at the Wooper pond, after you cleaned up for the first time after your fever.

His gaze makes you squirm just as much as it did then, too.

“O-okay,” you cough. “You’re exhausted and I’m hungry, so where’s the cabin?”

He’s still staring with a dopey smile on his face.

“Leon?”

“Huh?” he grunts. He shakes his head into focus. “R-right, uh, this way.”

Without another word he grabs your hand again, weaves his fingers around yours, then pulls you forward. You pass under the archway to the trading station, and you vaguely wonder if Watt’s teeth are still green. As you walk, there are a few other trainers that glance your way. You offer them friendly waves, and they cautiously wave in return. They don’t smile, but rather, gaze in confusion and whisper amongst themselves. Your brow furrows and you turn to Leon, but he doesn’t seem perturbed by it.

“You’re not pulling up your hood,” you say to Leon, who looks back at you guiltily.

“Yeah, um,” he mutters. “It’s… It’s kinda late for that, since Milo and I have been here for a while.”

You nod, and you push down the dread that’s creeping into your stomach. Why were those people whispering? Why were they looking at you so cautiously? Do they recognize Leon from somewhere?

…Is what Murray said true?

That dread rises to your throat when you realize your deciding question is quickly looming. You need to ask Leon who is, and soon, or risk your feelings developing further. But…Maybe you should eat something first, let Leon sleep, before spoiling your sweet reunion. You still need to hear what he has to say.

Although there’s plenty of people at this station, they’re speckled up the mountain, on the platforms, swinging with their Pokémon from the pulleys and the ropes that snake through the air. Leon guides you to the mountainside, and as you glance up the rocky cliff and at the purple cabin jutting out of the side, you purse your lips.

“How do we…?” you start.

“Oh, you just hold on,” Leon says suddenly. He’s hooked his foot into the loop of a rope, hooked his arm around your waist, and pulled you into his chest. He gives the rope two tugs, the Machoke at the top gives a thumbs up, and suddenly the rope begins to tighten. You let out a squeak of surprise when your feet lift off the ground, and you quickly hook your foot into the rope and cling to Leon with your good arm as securely as you can.

You don’t jolt up like you were expecting, and the elaborate pulleys hum as you and Leon lift higher into the air. As you climb higher, you gently sway and spin and your view shifts from the flowers poking out of the cliffside to the edge of the rocks to the lavender of the sky to the tops of the trees from the forest you came from.

It’s not like you’re _afraid_ of heights but having Leon as the _only_ thing to cling to when you gently swing from a single rope isn’t exactly peaceful. Leon seems to notice your shock, lets out a smug chuckle, and adjusts his hold more securely. It helps, kinda.

“Is this how you get up anywhere around here?” you ask as you cling to Leon. “Will I have to do this every time?”

He nods, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d say that nod was a little eager.

“I can probably hold onto the rope with my one arm at least,” you ponder as you gently raise higher. “That way we don’t always have to do this together.”

“That wouldn’t be safe,” Leon quickly interjects. “It’s best if I help you out, since you’ve only got the one hand.”

“You’re holding the rope with one hand,” you reply.

Leon doesn’t quickly interject after that, but rather clears his throat. You can feel a sentence beginning in his chest, only for it to drop, then start up again, and he punctuates his almost-sentence with a cough. You hide your grin under the rationale that he hasn’t slept in a while, and perhaps you should be gentle with the teasing.

“We’re here,” he coughs when the pulleys stop. He lightly steps onto the platform, as do you, and the rope quickly drops to the ground again. He offers a nod of thanks to the Machoke that pulled you up, and Leon guides you into the cabin. Your eyes widen when he opens the door.

Leon tenses beside you as you take in the blankets and belongings that are strewn on the ground, crumpled into the corner of the bed, lying haphazardly everywhere around the cabin. Your map is in the center of the room with the corners ripped, as if it’s been folded and unfolded thousands of times, smoothed and creased countlessly. Coffee cups litter the space around it and stains from spilled liquid are dried into the floorboards.

“I… sorry about the mess,” Leon says quietly.

“You weren’t kidding,” you whisper in return. “You really haven’t slept, have you?”

Leon doesn’t respond, though the chaos of this room is testament enough to his words in the forest, and again that dread seeps into you.

Who is Leon, and what are you to him?

Someone important enough to cause such distress, though you’re not sure you want to be excited about that.

“Y-You’re hungry, right?” Leon asks quickly, as if he knows exactly what you’re thinking and immediately wants you to stop thinking.

He’s lucky, because your hunger takes precedent over your anxiety, and you rush towards your bag to grab the rations from it. You settle yourself onto one of the beds and greedily tear into your meal. _Finally,_ something heartier than berries… As you gracefully stuff your face, Leon seems content to watch you.

“What?” you mumble through your mouthful.

“I forgot how beautiful you are,” he says simply, and you choke on your food. “I missed looking at you.”

“Uh, thanks,” you mumble as a few crumbs drop from your mouth. Leon simply nods and continues to stare. You try to eat a little more gracefully.

Once you eat your fill, you ask about showers, since you’re greasy and dirty and Leon seems determined to stare at you anyway. He leads you up a staircase attached to the mountain side, you make it to a building made of logs, and you almost have to push him out to get him to leave.

“Why don’t you tell Milo you’ve found me?” you say. “While I take a shower? He still doesn’t know I’m here.”

“Are you sure you don’t want help?” Leon asks as he nods to your arm. “I can help you, if you want.”

The offer is tempting (embarrassing, but tempting), though you shove out your desire for his wet and warm body holding you close in favor of waving a hand at him.

“I’ll be fine,” you say. “Go on, shoo.”

Leon smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. You furrow your brow, reach down, and give his hand a gentle squeeze.

“Leon,” you say quietly. “I’ll wait here when I’m done, okay? Then we can go back to the cabin together.”

He nods, and finally (and reluctantly) turns.

It is challenging to shower with a broken arm, but you make it work. It’s not like you have a time limit, and the hot water is refreshing as it streams over you. It’s beyond refreshing, even, as you gaze out the window. It’s not technically a window, but rather a gap in the wood. The walls rise to your neck, just enough so there’s room to see outside and watch the stars begin to sprinkle the night sky. There’s a light breeze, and it complements the steam from the hot water. Sleeping in a bed will be nice too, compared to the pine needles and grass you’ve used for the past few days.

You let the water run over you as you gaze outside. The mountains rise in the distance, humble yet magnanimous, as they elegantly cut the horizon in half. They’re a deep purple thanks to the incoming night, and you rest your chin on the wooden windowsill as you breathe out a sigh.

What if Leon doesn’t tell you who he really is? Or, what if he does, and he’s some criminal or mass-murderer or something? Almost everyone’s eyes followed you when you came in with him, yet none of them came up to talk. Were they too scared to?

You sigh again.

Could you leave him? Could you find the strength and the courage in yourself to leave Leon if you had to? What’s your dealbreaker? What would he have to say for you to confidently decide that you’re better off without him?

Maybe you should talk to him first, let him tell you what he needs to tell you, before you make any decisions.

You finish your shower, dress in fresh clothes, and you’re kicking your feet over the edge of the platform as you wait for Leon. He greets you with a huge smile to see that you did wait for him, and he informs you that Milo’s back and excited to see you too. When he dances between his feet, you ensure that you’ll wait for him to finish his shower. You don’t offer to ‘help him,’ though you wonder if he was waiting for you to when he paused for a few extra seconds. You don’t say anything further, and he scuttles into the showers.

The night breeze wafts over your skin, through your hair, and you again wonder what Leon wants to tell you. You wonder if it’s anything related to what you want to ask him.

The opportunity doesn’t come up until the day after, since once Milo is back, you and Leon don’t have a moment alone together, and he’s starting to fall asleep standing up. When Leon collapses into bed after his shower, Milo chuckles and quietly informs you that Leon really hasn’t slept since you were separated. He tells you he’s never seen a man so worried, and he’s never seen Leon so desperate for someone.

Again, you don’t know how you feel about that information.

As you settle into bed for the night, you want to curl up next to Leon, but his snoring deters you, and you also don’t want him to potentially crush your broken arm in his sleep. You nestle into the bunk beside his, and you let out your Pokémon to snuggle with all of them instead. Minccino is anxious to sleep in your sweater collar, and although it makes your neck sweaty, you let her. Growlithe is between your ankles, Munna is in the crook of your arm, and Pawniard still hasn’t picked a spot.

“You don’t have to cuddle if you don’t want to Pawniard,” you say quietly. He glances down, and when the moonlight glints off the blades on his chest, revelation dawns. Your bottom lip juts out. “You don’t want to hurt us?”

Pawniard shakes his head sadly, and motions to jump off the bed.

“Hold on,” you whisper. You untangle yourself from your half-asleep Pokémon, rummage through your bag, and find Leon’s sweater. You pull it over Pawniard’s head, he lets out a squeak of surprise, then you tie the sleeves around his stomach to add an extra cushy layer.

“Might be a little toasty, but what do you think?” you ask.

Pawniard is practically glowing, and he nods vigorously. You chuckle and settle back into your bed. Your Pokémon quickly return to their respective places, and Pawniard cautiously lays beside you. You give him a pat on the head, he nestles closer, and you fall asleep with a smile on your face.

You sleep for a long time, Leon sleeps for a longer time, so Milo takes you to the medic to get your arm properly looked at. The Chansey there heals it up for the most part with a Heal Pulse, but the medic encourages you to wear the sling for a few days. Broken bones take a while to mend, even with the sped-up aid of a Pokémon move.

It’s into the afternoon, then into the evening, when Leon finally wakes up. Milo finally had time to unload the supplies he brought from Gramma Tut and Papa Put, so it’s just you and Leon in your cabin. When he finally starts to stir, you sit beside him, and don’t stop yourself from brushing your fingers through his bangs.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” you say gently, and Leon smiles groggily at the sound of your voice. Warmth blooms in your stomach at the sight, and again when Leon shuffles to lay his head in your lap.

“Hi,” he hums. It takes a moment for him to get settled, and his hair is almost like another blanket as it sprawls over your legs. You brush through his bangs, through the hair by his ear, and Leon’s eyes flutter closed. A sentence starts in his throat, but he doesn’t bother to let it out in favor of sighing deeply when you scratch the top of his head.

“Are you feeling better?” you ask quietly, and he nods lightly. “You’ve slept almost all day.”

He hums again and you chuckle. He’s never laid his head on your lap before, and yet, it almost seems like he belongs there.

“Are you falling asleep again?” you ask, and he grunts in response. When you laugh, his smile grows, and his eyes finally open. They’re almost twinkling, their golden speckles glinting in the light of the setting sun. They’re a little puffy, probably from crying and having just woken up, and you can’t stop yourself from running your fingers through his bangs again.

“How’s your arm?” he asks groggily, and something pulls in your stomach at how gravelly his voice is when he first wakes up. You wonder what it would be like to wake up to his gravelly voice every day. His eyes finally flit away from yours to your sling.

“A lot better,” you say. “Milo and I went to the medic and a Chansey healed it up. I’ve got to wear this sling for a little while though.”

Milo’s words about Leon’s desperation brush through you, then Murray’s words harden in your gut. Leon seems to notice your tension, and he quickly sits up again. You decide you don’t want to wait any longer.

“So… there’s something I want to ask you,” you say. You know he’s just woken up, but your tension and your question seem to quickly pull him into being alert.

“Wait,” Leon says. He looks around, then back to you. “Not here. I… I want to hear what you have to say, but… not here.”

You nod. You step out of the cabin to let him change, then he quickly meets you outside the door. He says he found a quiet spot to talk, so you follow in silence as Leon guides you up the sliver of a path that curves around the mountain. You’re only walking for a few minutes, and you can still see the blocks of bold color from the Watt trading station cabins, but you no longer hear the rustle and bustle of the people and Pokémon there.

Your heart is pounding in your ears, the anticipation welling in your throat. All your questions and wonderings and fears are about to be laid bare to the man you are terrified of, yet may be in love with at the same time.

Your anticipation is spiking when Leon motions to a small outcropping. A boulder juts out of the cliffside, just enough to act as a bench, and a willow tree hangs over it. Pastel green wisps from the branches, swaying gently in the breeze. You sit down on the rock bench, and Leon sits beside you. You don’t bother with any introductory elements.

“I met Murray,” you say. Leon’s eyes widen in a way that shows that name means something to him. “And he told me some things… some things about you.”

“What kind of things…?” Leon asks.

“I trust you more than I trust some creepy old man that’s been following me,” you say, avoiding his question. That’ll be answered soon enough. “But I’m not going to ignore the truth in what he said.”

Leon’s brow furrows, though he offers a nod. The question that’s been building… you can’t let it catch in your throat now.

“Leon, you are such a dear friend to me,” you continue. “And I want you in my life for a long time. But… only if I know _you_. You’ve been hiding something from me. I won’t force you to tell me, but if you don’t, I don’t know if we can continue being friends after the migration.”

His shoulders fall, though his expression is hard to read as you continue.

“And it all depends on how you answer,” you say gently. “What have you been hiding from me? Who are you really, Leon?”

You expected him to confess to a crime, tell you he was on the run, or tell you was some fugitive from another country.

You didn’t expect him to laugh.

“Is that funny?” you ask as you raise an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Leon says. “Yes, because that’s what I wanted to tell you, that’s why I brought you up here.”

“Oh,” you breathe. The anticipation is welling in you as Leon pulls something from his pocket. He’s hiding it in his hands, so you can’t tell what it is.

“But let me say something too,” he says. “I… I don’t want this to change anything between us, but I understand if it does. You’ve become one of my closest friends, and you’ve changed my life for the better. Finding you in the storm is honestly one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

You nod, though your eyes keep flicking to the thing he’s fiddling with in his hands.

“You’ve cared about me for who I am, and not what my status is in the outside world,” he continues. “And you’ve dealt with me at my best, and at my worst, and promised to stay by my side anyway. You don’t know how much that means to me, and you don’t know how little that happens in my life.”

“It’s true,” you say. You’re getting a little antsy. A lot antsy. “But I could know if you showed me what’s in your hand.”

Leon chuckles again, and he bites his lip anxiously. It takes a few long seconds, enough for your heart to pound harder, and he finally holds his hand out to you. Your eyes flit from his to his outstretched hand, and you cautiously pluck the card from his fingers.

“A League card…?” you mutter. He nods.

Your eyes scan the words on the back. You’ve seen this one before, everyone has seen this one before. You flip the card over and take in the image of the Champion.

“This is the Champion,” you say with a furrowed brow. “Of the Pokémon League, Champion-”

Your eyes flick between the image on the card and the man sitting beside you. The man on the card is poised, confident, clean-cut, smug, even, while the man beside you is gazing at you gently, biting his lip anxiously, kind eyes waiting and watching for your response.

The realization hits you like an avalanche, like a mallet to a gong, like a blustering snowstorm or a howling gale. It shakes through your body, vibrates your bones, then trickles through your blood. It takes a moment to find your breath, then another to find your words as you gape in shock.

 _The_ Leon.

“Champion Leon,” you finish in a whisper. Your eyes flit up to meet his again. “You, you’re… you’re the Champion, you’re Champion Leon.”

Leon is scanning your reaction, anxiously biting his lip, searching your eyes for any telling sign of what that means to you. You smack his arm.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” you yelp as you smack his arm again.

“Ow! I’ve never had to tell anyone that in my life!” Leon retorts as he falls backward from shock. “I’m honestly amazed you never figured it out on your own!”

“ _That’s_ why you were always so weird about your job,” you groan as embarrassment shakes you by your shoulders. “And how it’s a lifestyle and how you love it and how you’re so busy, it’s because you’re the _Champion_ of the _Pokémon League_.”

Leon chuckles and gives a shrug, and you slap your forehead.

“You’ve been wasting your time with me running around in the wild,” you groan. “When you could have been doing a billion other things.”

“No!” Leon says quickly, and he grasps your hand in his. “No, no, no, don’t say that. This is where I want to be, this is good, being with you has helped me learn so much more about myself and people and Pokémon. You don’t know how wonderful it’s been to travel with you, how much I’ve learned and grown with your help.”

The Champion of Galar. The Champion of the Pokémon League. The undefeated Leon. _The_ undefeated Leon. That’s who’s sitting before you and holding your hand and gazing into your eyes like that.

“Please,” Leon says as he holds your hand to his chest. “Please, I wanted to tell you because I didn’t want to lie anymore, I didn’t want to keep from you something that’s so important to me. I… I hope this doesn’t change how you see me.”

You can’t find your words, because all that is repeating in your mind is that you’ve spent the last few weeks with one of the most powerful and famous people in the country. How you’ve spent the last few weeks _snuggling_ with one of the most powerful and famous people in the country.

“Please,” Leon says again. His eyes are desperately searching yours. “Please, I don’t want to lose you because of this, you’re so important to me. You cared about me when I didn’t have all my fame and fortune and whatever, please tell me you can continue caring about me when I do have it.”

Your mouth open and closes, but no sound comes out. Champion Leon. The Champion of Galar. The Champion of the Pokémon League, the one person who every trainer aims to defeat. The one who every person wants to be, and the one who almost every person wants to be with. He’s sitting in front of you, desperately whispering your name, trying to coax and draw words from your currently empty vocabulary.

“Say something,” Leon pleads. “You don’t know how much you mean to me. I finally found someone who I didn’t have to put up a front around, someone who I didn’t have to perform for. I’ve been the Champion since I was ten years old, you don’t know how refreshing it’s been just to be Leon.”

You swallow hard, but you can’t make it past the knot in your throat.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Leon continues. “I just... I wanted to see if anyone would bother getting to know the real me, if I was worth getting to know without my Champion status. So that’s why I didn’t tell you at first, but then… then along the way I started learning about you and who you are and all of the beautiful qualities _you_ have that aren’t tampered by fame and political mind-games. You’re so honest and interesting and kind, and I didn’t want to risk losing someone who makes me feel so _genuinely_ cared about.”

You wish you had more words in your brain, but the only sentence you can think of is some rendition of ‘Leon’ and ‘Champion’ and _‘the.’_

“I’m sorry I used you for that,” Leon says quietly. “And I understand if this changes things between us, but I didn’t want to hide it anymore. Throughout this time in the Wild Area, I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I really want, and what’s really important in life, and it’s people, it’s friends. You’ve helped me recalibrate, and you’ve helped me learn that I’m worth loving even when I fail.”

You’d nod if you could, but you just continue to stare.

“I know I can lose and be a failure and a jerk and a prick and the world won’t fall apart,” Leon says as he holds his head in his hands. He looks back to you. “You don’t understand how liberating that is for me, as someone who’s _known_ for never losing. I just… I don’t have to be perfect at everything immediately, and it’s so freeing.”

He’s scanning your eyes again, waiting for your response, but when it doesn’t come, he lets out a deep sigh.

“So,” he says with a final sigh. “That’s… that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t mean to keep secrets, I hope you can trust me again. Or, I guess you can leave, if you want. I won’t stop you.”

It seems his eyes have glassed over, though it’s hard to tell since he won’t meet your gaze anymore. He’s still waiting for your response, and it’s still not coming. The willow branches slowly sway around you, whispering in the light breeze of the mountainside.

“I’ll never forget you, though,” he says quietly. “I’ll always remember you.”

He turns his head.

“These were,” he continues. “These were some of the best days I’ve had in a really long time, and it’s thanks to you.”

Leon’s tears glisten as they tap against the ground. He stands and turns away.

“S-so, um,” he says shakily. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“Wait.”

You’re holding onto his two fingers, and you gently rise to stand beside him. You pull him into a hug, and it takes a moment for Leon to weave his arms around you in return.

“Thank you for telling me,” you whisper. He sniffles a few times, and you feel him nod. “Please don’t leave me because of that.”

“I won’t,” he says. “I won’t.”

“I’m not leaving you,” you say as you gently pull back. “That was just… a lot to process. The man I’ve gotten to know these past few weeks is kind, encouraging, protective, strong, fun, playful, and determined. You’re indecisive and you have a terrible sense of direction and you love having fun and you love exploring. You have purple hair and golden eyes and a crooked smile, and you fumble a lot when you get embarrassed.”

Leon’s brow furrows as you continue listing.

“You love lemonade, Pokémon love you, you love your family, you care deeply about the people close to you, and you work hard to better yourself,” you continue. “All of those things are qualities of you, Leon, just as much as being Champion is. It’s not something to leave you over, because it’s just another part of you.”

It’s Leon turn to stand and stare. The gears are turning behind his gaze, just as they did after you met the Quagsire so long ago.

“I’m glad you told me, though,” you say with a smile. “Because now that’s another part of you that I can’t wait to learn about.”

And the tears fall. They’re tumbling from his eyes again, and Leon pulls back a wet sniffle. You let slip a smile at the very human sound, and you wrap your arm around him.

“What did I do to deserve you,” he whispers against your hair. “I’ve been so scared, and that’s half the reason I was so terrible to you for so long, that’s why I told you I didn’t want you to come visit.”

You pull back, just enough to see his face.

“What do you mean?” you ask. He bites his lip and sighs.

“I’m scared,” he says finally. “Of… of you. And of going back home with you.”

“Leon,” you start again as your brow furrows.

“Hear me out,” he says weakly. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I owe you an explanation. I think I’ve finally pieced it together.”

You nod, and he steps away from you to see you better. He’s set his hands into his pockets as he gazes over the Giant’s Seat.

“I have a terrible sense of direction, but that doesn’t really bother a lot of people,” he starts. “People think it’s cute, think it’s endearing. But then when I show actual flaws or issues, it’s not so cute anymore. Like if I don’t smile or say the right thing to ease everyone’s tension, I get a lot of blame. If there’s a wild Pokémon terrorizing a town or some travelers, and I don’t take care of it quickly and succinctly, then everyone loses hope in me. So, with that Frillish and the Onix… I was in over my head, and my overconfidence almost killed me.”

The willow branches again frame his head, and the pastel greens hum in harmony with the pinks of sunset.

“If you weren’t there, I would have died,” Leon says. “I was doing such a good job at being perfect around you too and taking care of you and taking care of everything just like I always have. But the more time we spent together the harder it was to keep performing. Even with Minccino not liking me, then when I almost drowned, and every other little thing I’ve failed at never seemed to really bother you.”

You process his words, then offer him a simple shrug.

“Well yeah, I fail too, you’re human,” you say.

“And that’s just it,” Leon says. “You treat me like a human. You treat me like a regular guy, and that never happens to me. I failed and you threatened to leave, but you didn’t. It was terrifying.”

“Terrifying?” you repeat with a frown.

“Yes,” he says. “Because you didn’t leave, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to be perfect again after you saw me fail so many times.”

“So that’s why you were pushing me away,” you say quietly. “You were scared.”

“Terrified.”

The way he says that word makes you think it’s been sitting in his skin for a long time.

“Terrified of, of, of letting you in,” he says as he looks back over the horizon. He’s gesturing with his hands, as if he’s explaining it to himself as much as he is to you. “Of hurting someone so wonderful and beautiful and kind. Terrified of letting you see how flawed I am.”

“And I care about you, flaws and all,” you say.

He shakes his head, lets out another wet sniffle, then grasps your hand in his.

“Thank you,” Leon whispers.

“And thank you,” you whisper in return.

You hug again, and peace finally settles over both of you. The branches of the willow tree tickle your skin as they whisper around you, and you and Leon both heave in a deep sigh. Once you exhale, it’s like you’re finally exhaling all of the anxiety and the tension that has been building in you, that’s been building between you. After a few minutes, and a final squeeze, you step back.

“S-so, um,” Leon says. He’s fumbling with his hands again. “One other thing, too.”

“Now’s a good time to tell me anything,” you joke with a gentle smile. “What is it?”

He’s wringing his hands together, shifting between his feet, staring at you intently. He tries to swallow once, then twice, then clears his throat. You raise an eyebrow when he opens his mouth, just to close it again.

“Leo-”

“You’re really beautiful,” Leon blurts. “AndkindandsmartandIlikebeingaroundyoumorethanIhaveeverlikedbeingaroundanyoneelsebeforeanditscaresmebutinagoodwayandasIwaslookingforyouIfinallyrealizedsomethingandIwantyoutoknowthat…that… I think I’m…I think I’m in…um…”

You blink a few times as you try to process his terrible syntax. Leon’s mouth is hanging open, still prepping for his next bout of words, but instead he inhales quickly and shuts his mouth.

“I… what?” you ask. “I didn’t really catch any of that.”

Leon turns from you and tugs at a few strands of his hair. Whatever he was going to say seems to have died in his throat, because his dumbfounded and searching expression is replaced with a flustered grin when he turns back.

“I was just going to say…” Leon says quietly. “I… I want you to meet my family. My mum and Hop. They’re the most important people in the world to me, and I want you to meet them. They’ll be at the migration, and I was thinking we could sit with them.”

Oh. You wonder why that was so hard for him to spit out.

“Of course,” you smile. “That sounds wonderful, I’d love to.”

“Really?” Leon asks. His face has significantly brightened, and he almost looks like a Yamper puppy.

“Yeah,” you chuckle. “I thought we were meeting them there? This entire time I assumed I’d meet them.”

Leon’s eyes grow wide, then he turns and scratches the back of his neck.

“Oh,” he says as a faint blush creeps into his cheeks. “Y-yeah, that’s what I meant. Nothing special, since you would have met them anyway.”

“But I’m glad you want me to meet them,” you hum, and you bite back a giggle. “I guess I am pretty important to you too, hm?”

Leon nods, and the gentility in his gaze almost makes you sigh.

“You are,” he says quietly. 

There’s a brief silence between you, and you’re not sure if it’s the privacy of this cliffside or the beauty of the dusk or the newfound peace between you and Leon, but you don’t stop yourself from leaning up to him, cupping his face, and gently pressing your lips to his cheek.

“Thank you for this, Leon,” you whisper as you step back. “Thank you for trusting me and caring about me enough to share so much with me. I’m excited to thank your mum for raising such a wonderful man.”

He freezes for a moment. You tilt your head.

“…Leon?”

“Right!” Leon yelps. “Yes, you’ll like her, she’ll like you, especially because you’re so pretty. U-uh, pretty great, I mean. She’s always telling me I need to find a girl like you anyway, so she’ll be excited to meet you. Um, just in general, I mean. Like. A general girl. N-not like, a _special_ girl. But you are special, is, what I meant. She just wants me to get married soon so she can have grandbabies but I’m sure that’s not what she meant. Not that we’d get married or anything. S-since we haven’t started dating, not that we would, or even kissed or anything. You know, at least not _really_ kissed, um, since, s-since…”

You cup your hand over his mouth, and he stops rambling.

“One thing at a time, Leon,” you chuckle. When you move your hand, Leon lets out a puff of relief. You start back down the mountain path, and Leon lets out another sigh.

“You’d think I’d be better at talking to women after being the Champion for so long,” he groans.

“Yeah you’d think,” you chuckle. “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute.”

Leon trips on a rock, then quickly recovers.

“Cute?” he repeats. “You… you think I’m cute?”

You shrug playfully, and his eyes zigzag over your face. It seems he’s holding back a smile, though he’s not doing a very good job at hiding it. He’s forcing down the corners of his mouth and they seem determined to perk right back up.

As your hand brushes his when you walk down the mountain path, you realize that it’s not his status as Champion that’s drawing you to him still, but his honesty and his authenticity. As you mull over Leon’s qualities, your time spent together, and the friendship he’s offered you, it’s when he hooks his pinky around yours that solidifies it in your heart.

You finally realize that you’re in love with Leon, and it’s very possible that he could be in love with you too.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is written on behalf of anyone going through midterms rn ✊😔. We got this. That’s ~~the entire~~ half the reason the last update was… (checks watch) over a month ago. Enjoy!!

“Good morning.”

It’s a soft sound, more of a hum, really, and you wrinkle your nose as you’re pulled from your dreams.

“Mmng,” you mutter in return. You nestle into the warmth beside you, hoping that you’ll drift back to sleep, but now that you’ve moved, all of your snuggling Pokémon are moving too. Pawniard struggles to stand, as he’s again cocooned in Leon’s sweater, and you groan when Growlithe shakes his fur.

“And you called me a sleepyhead,” Leon chuckles, and your eyes finally flutter open. You blink away the blurry sheen and your brow furrows to see him sharing your pillow. “It’s pretty late for you to still be sleeping.”

“Leon?” you mumble groggily. “What’re you doing on my pillow?”

“You were shivering like mad last night,” he explains. He lifts himself onto his elbows, though his motion lifts your blanket just enough to let in the chill morning air. You curl into a ball in protest. “Kept mumbling for me, I thought that meant you wanted to… you know. Share.”

“Oh,” you say simply. You don’t remember mumbling for him, but you’re more embarrassed than surprised. Leon seems to notice your tension.

“I figured it would work out,” he says quickly. “Since we could use both my blanket and your sleeping bag to keep warm. Was… was that okay? I know we haven’t… shared… um, in a while.”

“Yeah,” you say. “That’s okay. But what’s not okay is that you’re letting out all the heat.”

Leon grins, and promptly plops beside you again.

“Better,” you mumble, still in your half-asleep haze.

You curl up as close as you can, and Leon seems happy to let you. Pawniard is still fumbling, so you scoop him up and hug him close to your chest. He lets out a squeak of surprise, you sleepily give him a few kisses, but he doesn’t bother pushing you away. After a few moments of him adjusting into your hug, you snuggle back up to Leon and his space-heater body.

Leon breathes out a deep sigh, and you decide that Leon’s heartbeat feels like home. It’s softly beating against your ear, as if it’s pumping for you just as much as it is for him. The faint thrum is like a lullaby in your head, his breathing is like a poem in the air. You wonder what it would be like to be the air in his lungs.

“How’s your arm?” Leon whispers.

“S’okay,” you mumble into his chest. “Dunno what that Chansey did, but it worked. It hardly hurts anymore.”

“Good,” Leon whispers. “Will you go get it checked again today? Another healing session?”

“Probably,” you mutter in your half-asleep haze. “But can we stay like this for a bit?”

When Leon chuckles, you again want to be the air in his lungs.

“Like I could say no to that,” he says, and he pulls you closer.

Pawniard is snuggly sandwiched between your and Leon’s stomachs, and he lets out another squeak when Leon plucks him out of his place then sets him on your other side. Leon quickly wriggles into the sliver of space there was until he’s flush against you.

“Sorry bud,” Leon whispers, and he gives Pawniard a pat. “You can have a turn later, I haven’t been able to do this for a bit.”

Affection blooms in your chest, just as the smile does on your face, and your heart beats in time with the affirmation that you are in _love_ with Leon. You bite your lip, as if that can stop every warm feeling swelling in you. It doesn’t work very well.

He curls his arms around you, safe and secure, as if you were made to be held by him. You don’t realize when you fall asleep again, or when you wake again, because every second you’re with him you’re as comfortable as you’ve ever been. It seems he feels the same when he presses a kiss to your forehead when you start to stir.

The afternoon sun is dappling into the room, shimmering like gold coins on the curtains, on the covers, on you and Leon as you wake. A soft breeze tousles your hair, and Growlithe lets out a big yawn when a Butterfree lands on the sill of the open window. It unfolds its wings, tilts its head, then calmly flutters off again. There’s a few Butterfree that speckle the air, barely a dozen, and their reflective wings shine through your eyelashes in the same way the sun would shine through honey.

“Hey,” Leon whispers as he mindlessly traces gentle circles on your back, as if that’s exactly what his hands were made for. “I want you to come visit me.”

Your brow furrows as you focus in on being awake. You’re quite warm and quite snuggled in your blanket, your sleeping bag, your Pokémon, and Leon, so it’s challenging to escape your foggy sleep.

“What?” you reply groggily. “Visit you where?”

“After all this,” he says. “After the migration. Come visit me at home, or at work, or wherever.”

Those words fully pull you from sleep, and you rise to your elbows to see him better. There’s nothing teasing in his eyes, not that there would be, but you still take a few seconds to process.

“Really?” you ask quietly. “Even when you’re doing Champion stuff?”

Leon nods, and the only thing you can find when you search his eyes is that pure, sweet honesty. You breathe out your response.

“Yeah,” you whisper. “Okay. I will.”

“Okay,” Leon repeats, and his smile is just as bright and as warm as the sun outside.

You watch him for a moment, gaze into his eyes just for a second. The color and the specks of gold seem even brighter than the sun, and those Butterfree may as well be furiously flapping in your gut when he looks at you like that. You break his tender trance by mumbling an embarrassed sentence.

“There’s some Butterfree outside,” you say quickly, and Leon turns from you to glance out the window. “Looks like we got here around the right time.”

Leon’s only response is a hum, and he gently pulls you back down and nuzzles his face into your hair again. His breath tickles your neck when he exhales, and he holds you closer when you let out a squeak of a giggle. Your light conversation has woken your Pokémon, too. Munna yawns, floats over to you, and you give her a kiss on the head. She bumps against your nose, and you offer her another kiss through your smile.

“Why does she get kisses?” Leon quietly complains, and his tone furrows your brow.

“Because she’s my cute little Munna,” you hum, offering Munna another kiss, who happily embraces it.

“I mean, I’m you’re cute little boyfr-,” Leon starts. Your eyes snap open. “F-f-ffer…f-f…fuh…”

Leon has tensed, you have tensed, and you lift your head as Leon desperately racks his brain for an appropriate f-word.

“Functional, at least,” comes Milo’s voice from the door. “Even after the avalanche, but thanks for the offer.”

Your attention turns to Milo kicking the dirt off his boots, though part of you is still quite trained on whatever Leon says next. Lucky for him, Milo interrupts whatever that f-word was supposed to be.

“You’re up,” Milo says with a smile. “’Bout time, though I can’t blame you both for needing your rest. You were sleep talking half the night, but it seems Leon solved that problem easily enough.”

Leon’s arms seem to curl around you a little tighter, and… did Milo just wink?

“Oh, um, yeah I guess so,” you mutter bashfully, and you’re now very aware of how tangled you are with Leon. Not that Milo ever teases you much, but it is strange to have another person in the room as Leon holds you. It almost makes it seem more real, though you’re not sure why.

“I think I’ll be headed out tomorrow,” Milo says as he bustles around the room. The cabin is looking much better after the three of you cleaned it up yesterday (once you and Leon had eaten and slept properly), and Milo is smoothing out his own sleeping bag. “The folks at the main cabin didn’t get nearly as much stock as they were hoping thanks to the Bewear attack, so I should run back to Gramma and Papa’s to refill for them.”

Milo chats with you both about stock and the strange twins that run this trading station (apparently their names are Mott and Scott), but you’re only half-focused as Leon continues to nuzzle against you. He keeps bumping his nose into your neck, and you keep choking back the squeaks of laughter when it tickles. You pinch him, as he’s not even _pretending_ to listen to Milo.

When you unexpectedly feel the brush of his lips on your neck, you’re suddenly wide awake and very aware that Milo is in the room too and you should probably not be feeling something like that or wanting the things that you want with Milo here so you pretend to be quite interested in whatever he’s saying. You slide out of Leon’s arms and Pawniard tumbles to the floor with a soft _pomphf_ thanks to his sweater-cocooned body, Leon lets out a pouty ‘hey, you’re letting the heat out!’, and you’re pretty sure Milo just rolled his eyes.

“What do you both have planned today?” Milo asks after you swat at Leon again.

You mention that you should probably see the doctor and Chansey again, as your arm is pretty functional, and you want to stop wearing your sling. You don’t have to wear it to sleep, at least, and when you pull it on Leon lets out a sigh at the fact that you won’t be joining him in bed again.

You slowly prepare for the day as you chat with Milo, though every time he turns his back you have to shoot a stern glare at Leon, who seems determined to openly stare at you with his cheek resting on his fist. Why’s he acting like this? Doesn’t he realize Milo’s in the room too? Why does he have to look at you with his big sparkly eyes so… so… like he’s….

… in love with you, or something…

You shake the thought from your head.

After preparing for the day, Leon begrudgingly gets out of bed. He gets ready by putting on his hat and then he states he is ‘good to go.’ After an eyeroll and the suggestion that he at least changes into something more presentable, the three of you finally head for the clinic on the ground level of the trading station. You motioned to take the rope lift down by yourself, but Leon insisted that he help anyway, just to be sure. You didn’t mind, much.

The doctor’s visit and healing session is quick, and today is the last day wearing your sling. You’re chatting with Milo as you all walk to the cafeteria for lunch, but your giddiness drops when Leon waves at a few girls passing by.

Your brow furrows when they giggle.

It happens again when another group passes, and one guy’s jaw actually drops. You try to hide your scowl, but when Leon turns to tell you something, his original sentence is quickly replaced.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing,” you mutter quickly as you shift your gaze to the rock you’re kicking along. After a few moments you feel the brush of his hand against the back of yours.

“They’re just some fans,” Leon whispers. “Just saying hi.”

Realization pangs in your chest and an embarrassed blush quickly flares in your cheeks. Oh yeah. He’s the champion. The champion has fans. You forgot about that.

“Were you jealous?” Leon whispers, though it sounds more like the low rumble of a growl and you wish you didn’t like it so much.

You abruptly grumble something out, though it isn’t really coherent to yourself or to Leon. Luckily you make it to the cafeteria quickly, because you’re not sure how you feel about the strange pull deep in your stomach when Leon’s voice sounds like that. You try to shake it out of your head, but it doesn’t help much when Leon’s hand brushes the small of your back when you’re in line for your meal. He’s drawing little circles again and you try not to squirm since you’re, you know, in public.

The cans of lemonade distract Leon’s hands, and you can finally focus on picking out your own lunch. Delicious scents from an exotic array of dishes grab your attention, and you’re not even sure what half of these things are called. You smile at the fact that this Watt trading station is quite colorful and strange, but in the best of ways. When you all finally sit down to eat, you let out your Pokémon to join you, but after a few minutes all of them are starting to snap at each other. You try to sit them in respective locations beneath your table, but they seem determined to eat from each other’s bowls.

“Minccino, stop it,” you huff. “Your food is over there.”

Minccino squirms in your arms when you pluck her off the ground and away from Growlithe’s food bowl. While you were doing that, Pawniard had poked Munna hard enough to make her cry, but you’re not actually sure if she’s just being dramatic. They’re squirming and whining, but whenever you try to put one in their Poké Ball, they just flash out of it again.

“What is with all of you?” you huff as you again swat your Pokémon away from each other, though it’s not too effective with your one arm.

“They’re pretty antsy,” Milo chuckles as he takes a bite of his lunch. “Perhaps they need to let out some energy.”

“By throwing food at each other?” you grumble as you pluck Minccino off the ground when she swipes at Growlithe again.

“I was thinking more along the lines of a battle,” Milo says as something glimmers in his eyes. Your eyebrows raise at the word, and you sit straight.

“A… a battle?” you repeat. Growlithe yips in excitement and you let Minccino squirm out of your arms as you try to swallow the anxiety that’s quickly rising in your throat.

“I think you should do it,” Leon says enthusiastically. “You’ve gotten much stronger. Milo’s the first Gym Leader in the League anyway, I think you’re ready for him.”

Milo nods, and both his and Leon’s encouraging smiles only partly temper the dread that’s looming around you.

“What do you say?” Milo asks. “You’ve got four Pokémon that need to let out some energy, and I’ve been itching for a good battle myself.”

You glance to the Pokémon scampering around your feet and you bite your lip. They’re not being _that_ bad, you think, then Munna rams into your knee, you hiss out an expletive as she chases Growlithe, and you huff your response.

“Fine, yes, let’s do it,” you say, and Leon cheers as you rub your throbbing kneecap.

You finish your meal and follow Milo to the training field, which is thankfully on the ground level of the trading station. You don’t really want to imagine your Pokémon sprinting off the side of a mountain by accident. The field is craggy, with sparse tufts of dry grass sprouting out of the cracked dirt. Two trainers are currently battling on it, and their Scolipede and Golurk are kicking up a whirlwind of dust. Dozens of spectators surround the field, cheering and hollering along with their own, large, strong, and evolved Pokémon, and that knot of anxiety in your throat doubles in the pit of your stomach. Leon pulls up his hood and discreetly stands between you and Milo.

You dance between your two feet as the three of you wait for the current battle to finish. These Pokémon are insanely powerful, and every attack either rumbles the earth or rings in your ears. As the Scolipede attacks with a Megahorn, you try not to flinch. You’re rifling through everything you know about Milo, and what Pokémon he could have, and how on earth you could possibly beat a Gym Leader when you’ve never beaten any regular trainers. The Golurk attacks with a Dynamic Punch that rumbles the earth and a few rocks spit around you from the collision with the Scolipede. It’s getting hard to think as the two massive Pokémon rush each other. Milo has grass-types, right? Growlithe could handle that much, but what if he has other Pokémon? What if he uses a Mudsdale? Your Pokémon are all so small. They’re stronger than they used to be, but what if they get crushed in the process?

You scratch your chin, run your fingers through your hair, cross your arms, just to uncross them again. You flinch when the Scolipede attacks, you lift your hand to bite your nails, but before you reach your mouth, Leon weaves his fingers around yours.

“You’ll do fine,” he whispers as he squeezes your hand. His voice is low and soothing in your ear, just loud enough for only you to hear it. “You’ve been training well, and you have Pokémon that will work their hardest for you.”

You nod, but his smile isn’t easing your tensions like you were hoping it would.

“What if I lose?” you ask quietly. “Again?”

“Then you’ll learn something,” Leon says with a shrug. That didn’t help your nerves much. “And you’ll try again. I don’t think you’ll lose though.”

“In front of all of these people?” you continue as your eyes flick to the dozens of spectators gathered around the field. You imagine how embarrassing it’ll be when you lose. “I haven’t won a battle yet, I haven’t even battled another trainer since the last Watt trading station.”

Suddenly Leon turns your chin and you’re staring into his eyes. They’re blazing like a golden fire, strong and determined.

“Listen to me,” he says. “You have an incredible bond with your Pokémon, and you’ve been working hard to train them. Remember what you told me? Just yesterday you said that it’s okay to fail, even in front of crowds of people.”

“Well yeah, but that was-”

“No different,” Leon finishes. “And whatever happens, I’ll be right here for you, okay?”

Your eyes flit around his face, his hand moves from your chin, and he brushes his thumb over your cheek. You exhale deeply when he does, and the tension in your shoulders starts to ebb. Even as the chaos whirls on the battlefield, you feel strangely grounded.

After another encouraging nod from Leon, you turn back to the other trainers on the field. You study their movements, their commands, and how they interact with their Pokémon. They are quite skilled, so you take in every piece of information that you can in preparation of your battle soon to come. As the Golurk lands another well-timed hit on the Scolipede, Milo begins asking around if anyone else wants to use the field next. After a few minutes, the trainer with the Golurk emerges victorious, and Milo steps up to your side.

“Ready?” he asks. “We’re up next.”

You square your shoulders and give him a nod, and you and Milo head out onto the pitch. There’s plenty of noise, as most of the trainers on the sidelines recognize Milo, and yet the closer you get to the center of the pitch, the quieter the air is around you. The anticipation is raising the hair on your neck, lifting goosebumps on your arms, and thrumming in your heart, strong and steady.

“Don’t go easy on me,” you tell Milo gruffly. “I want to win fairly.”

“That’s assuming you’ll win,” Milo says teasingly. Strangely, the playful glimmer in his eyes does ease your tensions a fraction. “I plan to go all out, and I hope you will too.”

You nod, turn, and you inhale with each step you take as the rubber of your shoes pushes into the dirt. Your Pokémon are quaking in their Poké Balls as you stare Milo down from across the field. He offers a friendly thumbs-up as the competition sparks between you like lightning. You simultaneously throw out your first Pokémon, and Growlithe is immediately bolting towards Milo’s Eldegoss.

“Growlithe, Flamethrower!” you call, and Growlithe obeys in a blast of heat.

Flames erupt from his mouth, but Eldegoss wisps out of the way just in time and retaliates with a Hyper Voice. The sound blasts across the pitch in waves, causing sharp pebbles to fling up and cut into your ankles. You ignore the pain to order another Flamethrower, and this time Growlithe hits Eldegoss straight in the chest.

Your eyes widen when Eldegoss falls to the pitch.

“Only one hit…?” you whisper to yourself as Milo switches out his Pokémon.

Your anxiety is replaced with excitement and your smile shines on your face. The crowd is cheering, and your heart thumps when you realize they’re cheering for _you_.

“Great work, Growlithe!” you call, and he furiously wags his tail. “That was the first Pokémon we beat together, and it won’t be the last!”

Growlithe barks in agreement. Milo sends out one of his Mudsdales next, and you quickly return Growlithe. Even though that was the first Pokémon you beat together, you want him to be healthy enough to stick around for another. You send out Munna.

The Mudsdale is strong, just like you were expecting, and your teeth clench when it downs Munna in three solid hits. She got in maybe one attack, and your face pinches in frustration when you call her back. Minccino is out next.

Minccino is more agile than Munna is, so she darts around and under the Mudsdale enough to land a few solid blows. When she skitters under the Mudsdale, it gives her a hearty kick that makes your own stomach hurt.

“Don’t take that lying down, Minccino!” you call. “You can do it!”

Your simple words of encouragement do seem to help, and the ground rumbles when your tiny Minccino knocks out Milo’s two-ton Mudsdale. Your smile eases back onto your face, and you quickly glance to the crowd. Everyone is jumping and cheering, but your eyes are trained for a single gaze. Leon meets your eye, and his smile is enough to encourage you just a bit more. Milo sends out his next Pokémon.

You battle for what feels like hours, your Pokémon dodging and attacking, jumping and falling. Minccino lasted a while, but she was down too after another solid hit from Milo’s Bellossom. Pawniard knocked out the Bellossom, Milo’s Flapple knocked out Pawniard, and you toss out Growlithe as your last Pokémon.

He only has half his HP, and you don’t know if you should risk using a turn on healing when he has the type advantage. You open your mouth to call him back, but Growlithe is already cloaked in fire. Your eyes widen as he hurdles towards Flapple.

“Flare Blitz?” you whisper to yourself. How high-leveled _is_ Growlithe? Have you been paying close enough attention to his growth?

Growlithe hits the Flapple right at the core, and embers flicker in the air as Flapple tumbles backwards. It tries to retaliate, but after wavering for a few seconds, it finally hits the ground.

Cheers erupt from the sidelines, as loud as a clap of thunder, and the last thing your parents said to you erupts in your head.

_A Trainer?! Are you daft? You’re going to kill yourself out there, you won’t make it a week!_

_Your father means well, love, but do you know how hard being a Trainer is? It will be challenging for you to catch anything, let alone win any battles._

_Let alone win any battles_

_Let alone win any battles_

_Let alone win_

_Win_

Won.

“I won,” you whisper. “I won the battle.”

The sweat and the stench of the smoke and the flaring pain in your arm and the whisper of the breeze and the flowers on the mountain and the blue of the sky and the thrum in your heart as Growlithe pants beside you:

This is it.

This is what being a trainer is supposed to be.

The tears are tumbling out of your eyes, down your cheeks, pooling at the corners of your mouth when you grin as wide as you can. You laugh along with the wind and you reach for the sun above you, not caring for a moment who’s watching. The Butterfree swoop and dive, as if cheering you on with their sparkling wings. It’s like your blood is golden, your tears made of sunshine, your laughter like bells in your lungs as you repeat again and again and again that _this_ is what you were made for, _this_ is what you’ve always wanted.

“Thank you,” you whisper to the sky. You’re not sure who you’re thanking or who could be listening, but you need to express the gratitude and joy within you or else you’ll burst. Your own voice is smooth as a melody, as calm as a glistening pond, as bright as the pearl that still sits in your pocket.

Your legs feel like jelly as you walk, as if every vein and artery and tendon in your body don’t know how to hold the euphoria in your bones. The grass sways and the wind blows as you meet Milo in the middle of the field. He offers you a smile that matches your own and a heartfelt handshake.

“Brilliant work,” Milo says as he gives your hand a squeeze, and he claps his other hand around yours. “I can tell you’ve worked hard to get here, and that battle was inspiring.”

“Thank you, Milo,” you say. “Thank you for the bat- _hrnk!”_

Your sentence is cut short when a dense force slams against your side, and before you know it, you’re being lifted and spun in a chaotic circle.

“You did it!” comes a sound from that dense force, and you quickly realize who it is that is crushing the air from your lungs. “I told you you’d win, I’m so proud of you! What a brilliant match, I could hardly contain myself!”

“Leon!” you cough out. “My arm!”

“Oh!” Leon blurts, and he quickly sets you on your feet again. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay,” you laugh, and you curl your one good arm around him. He hugs you gently this time, bringing you close to his chest. “Thank you for your enthusiasm.”

You trip a bit when Milo wraps his arms around both you and Leon.

“Brilliant!” Milo enthuses again, and you and Leon laugh along with him. “You chewed me up and spat me out like old sugarcane. You’re inspiring.”

_You’re inspiring._

_You’re inspiring._

_You’re inspiring._

You bite your lip as the words resonate in your head, resound in your heart, and you give Milo’s hand a squeeze too.

“Thank you,” you say humbly. “I couldn’t have done it without all my Pokémon, though.”

You let them out and heal them up, and once they’re healthy, you suddenly have four Pokémon knocking you to the ground. There are pokes and headbutts and a slobbery tongue in your face as your Pokémon climb on you, unable to hold back their enthusiasm. You curl all of them into your arms as well as you can and squeeze as much love into them as possible.

“Thank you all for your hard work,” you tell them, and they stare up at you with excitement glinting in their eyes. “I’m so proud of all of us.”

You offer each a few more words of praise and send them to their Poké Balls for some well-earned rest. Leon helps you up off the ground, but he doesn’t let go of your hand.

“As a reward,” Leon says with that megawatt grin. “I want to show you something.”

“Oh?” you say, still riding that victorious high. “And what might that be?”

“Come with me,” Leon says as he weaves his fingers around yours.

You motion to ask if Milo’s coming too, but he’s simply waving goodbye, and you vaguely wonder if he knows about whatever this plan is. You don’t think about it long, as you’re too preoccupied with the feeling of euphoria bubbling in your chest and how Leon’s hand feels wrapped around yours.

A few trainers offer you a congratulations and some friendly pats on the back, and your smile grows when one of them mentions they’d love to battle you sometime too. You want to nod and ask when, but Leon is quickly pulling you away from the crowd. You offer an apologetic yet grateful wave to the people offering supportive words, and you finally turn to follow wherever Leon is guiding you.

He’s pulling you past the crowds and through the trading station, then up the pulleys and up a set of stairs. You have no idea how he knows where he’s going, but he’s leading you quite confidently, so you follow suit. You twist and you turn through the mountainside, biting back a grin when you start noticing smushed berries along the rocks, guiding you down the path.

Ah, so that’s how he’s remembering where to go. Clever.

Leon stops abruptly and you nearly run into his back. You’re glad you ran into him though, because had you gone a foot further you would have run right off the cliffside. He turns back to you with a smile that matches the sun.

“First, I want to say good work,” Leon says. “I mean it. It was so incredible watching you out there, and you’ve come so far.”

“Thank you, Leon,” you say humbly, and Leon gives your hand another squeeze.

“Battling looks good on you,” he says suddenly, and you blink a few times. “And since I knew you’d win, I wanted to, um, do something.”

“Do something?” you repeat, and Leon’s hardly holding back his grin. “Something like what?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Leon…” you mumble. That certain something is pulling in your stomach again when you wonder what he could give you that requires you to close your eyes. He’s standing awfully close, staring into your eyes, trailing his hand to your waist… you close your eyes.

“Ready?” Leon whispers. He’s tugging you closer, wrapping his arm around your waist, and you instinctively set your hands on his chest. You nod, and slowly tilt your head up to him.

“Yeah,” you whisper, and you wet your lips.

Suddenly Leon’s holding you even closer and his voice is beside your ear.

“Hold on tight!” he says, and your eyes snap open.

“What?” you ask, but your question quickly morphs into a yelp when Leon tugs you off the edge of the cliff with him. “Leon?!”

It takes you a single second to realize that you are flinging through the air and there is nothing beneath your feet and the only thing you can cling to is Leon who is clinging to some pulley that is attached to the longest rope you’ve ever seen. You find your voice and try to scream over the howling of the wind.

“ _Leon?!”_ is all you can think to say, but Leon probably can’t hear you over how hard and loud he’s laughing. You briefly catch the word _zipline_ through his laughter.

You cling to him for dear life, but your hands are damp from how much you’ve been sweating since your battle and from the adrenaline that’s pumping through you. Your clutch on his shoulders starts to slip, but only having one arm isn’t helping as you scramble to latch your legs to his too. His hand is slipping, your hands are slipping, and suddenly there’s nothing holding you to him.

You can’t even find it in you to scream as you start falling through the air, twisting and turning with nothing to hold on to. You’re hardly falling for a few seconds before something green streaks through the sky, and suddenly your bones are rattling as the air is knocked out of you. The wind is still forcing itself through your hair, but whatever you collided with wasn’t the ground.

“You okay?” comes a voice from beside your ear. “What kind of twit is using this zipline? Rubbish thing’s only made for one person!”

You’re still focused on how you didn’t just _die,_ so you don’t have the breath to respond. You jerk backwards once, then something beneath you is adjusting. It’s the flap of wings, and after a few strong gusts, you land gently on the ground.

What just happened.

Your legs give out and you fall forward, but the green thing that caught you catches you again by sticking his neck out. Through the blurry haze of your processing, you hear the coo of a Flygon.

“Thanks,” you breathe out, and you pat the Pokémon’s neck. You try to stand, but every bit of you is shaking too much to do anything besides stumble forward again.

“Easy,” comes a voice from behind you, and you feel someone lift you from under your arms until you’re standing straight. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” you say shakily. “Thanks, you and your Flygon saved my life.”

You finally turn, and whoever it was that caught you is tall, dark, and handsome, and you feel like you’ve seen him before somewhere, but you’re still focused on not losing your lunch. His shiny smile showcases a sharp fang, but what really catches your attention is the sharp blue of his eyes.

“Nice catch!” comes Leon’s voice, and you hear Charizard’s roar as well. Leon starts another sentence, but whatever he was about to say is quickly replaced by incredulous laughter. “No way, _Raihan?!”_

 _“Leon?!”_ the tall dark and handsome man, apparently named Raihan, replies. “You’re alive, holy shit!”

They run and nearly tackle each other into the ground, and you’re still wondering if you actually are alive. They’re babbling at each other a mile a minute, gripping hands and hugging and beaming at each other. You pinch your arm. Yep, you are alive.

“Mate, it’s so good to see you!” Leon enthuses. “Came in right on time, too, as always.”

You finally come to your senses and realize _why_ you need to pinch yourself to see if you’re alive, because it’s that idiot who hasn’t even bothered to apologize yet for the fact that he almost _killed you._

“You almost killed me!” you yelp as you march over to Leon and smack his chest. “If it wasn’t for this guy, I’d be dead!”

“ _This_ guy?” Raihan repeats as he stares incredulously at Leon. He smacks the other side of Leon’s chest. “You haven’t bothered to mention your best mate?!”

“Ow!” Leon cries as he swats your hands away. “I was going to eventually!”

“Whatever,” Raihan says. He turns to you again, and his eyes drag down your frame, then back up. Leon tenses when Raihan holds his hand out to you. “I’m usually cleaning up after this bloke anyway. The name’s Raihan.”

“Hi Raihan,” you reply with a smile. You reach for a handshake. “Thanks for, you know, saving my life. I’m-”

Leon cuts your sentence short by gripping you by the shoulders, plucking you off the ground, and setting you behind him, all within about three seconds.

“Mine,” Leon finishes abruptly.

Your hand is still held out for a handshake, though now the tips of your fingers are brushing the back of Leon’s shirt. You can barely see Raihan’s expression over Leon’s shoulder, but you’re pretty sure it shifts from surprise, to confusion, then into devious understanding. With all the charm of a devil, you hear Raihan purr something that’s barely even a word, but drips with meaning.

“Yeah?”

Leon quickly tenses, and although you can only see the back of his head, you can only imagine the amount of sweat pricking on his brow. You do think you hear an audible _gulp_ though.

“M-mine, um, friend,” Leon corrects. “Mein friend. You know… how they say it in… Spikemuth.”

Raihan raises an eyebrow, and you notice a dangerous glint in both his eyes and his sharp smile.

“Do they say it like that?” he asks. “I’ll have to check in with Piers on that one.”

Raihan is trying to peer over Leon’s shoulder, around his shoulder, but Leon jerks to the side to block his view of you every time. You try to introduce yourself anyway.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Raihan calls to you. “Wish Leon wasn’t acting like this, but it makes sense. He only gets like this when he- _hrnk!_ ”

Suddenly Raihan is doubling over, and Leon quickly turns.

“What a nice reunion,” Leon says with a forced smile. “Wasn’t that a fun zipline? Say, are you hungry? I sure am. Raihan, are you hungry? You’re hungry too, right? Why don’t you go find Milo to see if he’s hungry?”

Before you know it, Leon is prodding you along, continuously insisting that you go find Milo. You finally swat his hand away with an ‘okay, okay’, but Leon is babbling at you incoherently until you’re being shoved back towards the trading station. You can easily pick up Raihan’s shrill rebuttal.

“What the _hell_ , Leon?!”

“Sorry!” Leon splutters. “Sorry sorry, you just kept talking.”

“Well _yeah_ that’s what happens when you meet someone new! Did you really have to knee me right in the-”

“Shh!” Leon hisses. “Keep your voice down!”

“Won’t be using those Poké Balls anytime soon,” Raihan squeaks again. “Sweet Arceus…”

Leon is hissing for Raihan to keep quiet, and the sound of your steps on the dirt path drown out whatever else they’re discussing. You wonder how much of it really is a discussion versus a frustrated argument about Raihan’s Poké Balls.

You find Milo and you tell him about Leon’s terrible surprise with the zipline, and he perks up when you mention you met Raihan when he saved your life after Leon almost killed you.

“Raihan’s here?” Milo asks, and you nod. “Oh brilliant, Leon must be so excited.”

You glance around incredulously. Is no one perturbed by the fact that you almost died? Apparently not, because Leon and Raihan come back about an hour later, engulfed in a frenzied and enthusiastic conversation. You’re still waiting for an apology, it doesn’t come, and Leon hardly looks at you until you’re sitting down for dinner.

Leon and Raihan have both been talking a mile a minute, and they only pause to swallow their dinner. At least Milo grimaces along with you when they both talk with food still in their mouths.

“Are they always like this?” you whisper to him.

“Kinda,” Milo says with a good-natured shrug. “Normally they have better manners, but not when they get amped up about something.”

You chat with Milo, as neither of you want to bother to try to get a word into Leon and Raihan’s conversation. Although you do appreciate Milo’s company, there’s something strange about sharing Leon’s attention. You’re not sure if you like it or not. It isn’t until Leon goes up for seconds that Raihan finally takes a breath. He sets his chin on his fist and waves his fruit-speared fork at you.

“So, you a Pokémon trainer?” he asks as he pops the fruit into his mouth. “Leon says he’s been working with you. You like working with him? He’s treating you well?”

You raise your eyebrows at the fact that throughout their consistent conversation, Leon has talked about you.

“Oh,” you say. “Minus him almost killing me today, yeah.”

“Good, good,” Raihan says. “He’s a bit daft, you’ll have to forgive him.”

You chuckle at that, since that is a fact you know quite well.

“Also,” Raihan says quietly as he leans in. “He’s going to ask you somewhere tomorrow, just say yes.”

You blink a few times. You motion to ask what that even means, but Raihan puts a finger to his lips when Leon sits down again. As if on cue, Leon’s eyes flick to yours.

“So, Milo, it’s been a minute, how’s Gramma Tut?” Raihan asks pointedly, and Milo easily gets the hint. They delve into what you’re sure is pseudo-distracted conversation, but it’s enough to get Leon to clear his throat and lean towards you.

“I was wondering if you’re doing anything tomorrow,” he asks quietly. You raise an eyebrow. “There’s, um, something I want to tell you.”

“Are you sure it’s not another zipline?” you ask coldly. You probably shouldn’t be acting like this, but Leon still hasn’t apologized or bothered to look at you until now.

“No, it’s not,” he says. He doesn’t say anything else, but rather looks at you with big, innocent eyes, almost like a kicked Yamper puppy. You sigh.

“I’ll go with you,” you say, and his expression immediately shifts into something much brighter.

“Okay,” he says. “Good, that’s… that’s good.”

“Good,” you say.

“Really good,” Raihan says to Milo, and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Surprised she’s still got all her appendages, to be honest.”

“Aren’t we all,” Milo sighs.

You all chat for a while as you finish your dinner, and you’re aware of how Leon seems to be glancing towards you more often. It’s… affirming, at least, but you feel a little guilty about being upset that you had to share his attention. You offer him an apologetic smile, and your heart thumps when he smiles at you in return.

Yeah, even though he almost killed you, you humbly accept that you are still very much in love with him.

After a few stifled yawns, you mention you’re going to bed early. Leon stands too, but you encourage him to spend time with Raihan. Raihan seems to appreciate it, and they all offer you waves of goodnight as you head out.

The dusk is cool on your face, and your shoes crunch into the dirt path as you follow the winding trails to your cabin. You pass the training field and pause for a few minutes to watch the trainers battle on it. You chuckle at the notion that this trading station seems much more lax than the first one you visited, since it’s definitely past curfew at Watt’s trading station.

An Accelgor and a Claydol are battling, and your mind drifts back to your battle with Milo earlier that day. You smile to yourself. You really did win, didn’t you? You were scared, you struggled through the battle, and you came out victorious. The Pokémon on the field and the powerful moves they’re throwing don’t seem as daunting as the Scolipede and Golurk’s did, and you reaffirm that you’re glad you started out on this journey.

The trainers finish their battle when the moon is high in the sky, and you offer them both a few encouraging words. One of them notices you from earlier and congratulates you in return. You chat with these trainers about battling, about their Pokémon, and about their goals as trainers. It makes your heart swell to hear them talk about the bond they have with their Pokémon, because that’s something you deeply appreciate too. You finally wave goodnight, heading back to your cabin with a smile on your face. Once there, you let out your Pokémon. After a bit of enthusing with them again, a few hugs to them all, you settle into your sleeping bag and tuck Leon’s blanket over your shoulders.

You’re not sure how long you’re trying to fall asleep, but you hear hushed voices outside, then the creak of the door. There’s some rustling, what you assume is Milo, Raihan, and Leon getting ready for sleep, and after a few minutes it’s quiet again. Slowly, gentle snores fill the quiet, and as the moon glints through the curtains, you hear a quiet rustle and the soft pat of bare feet, then your whispered name.

“I’m sorry,” Leon whispers. “The zipline idea was stupid.”

You grunt in agreement.

“I know I should have apologized sooner but I was really excited to see Raihan.”

You let out a sigh.

“Can you forgive me?” Leon whispers as he gently brushes his hand over your arm.

You don’t say anything, but you lift the blanket for him, and you easily melt against the warmth that slips into bed with you.

“Thanks,” Leon whispers. “I promise I won’t be a twit ever again.”

“Doubt it,” you tease, and you turn to offer Leon a small smile. He smiles too.

“Are you okay?” he asks gently. “I know a lot has happened today…”

“Yeah,” you sigh. “It was really wonderful winning the battle against Milo, but then the whole zipline thing was pretty traumatic… then it seemed like you didn’t care about being around me anymore once Raihan got here.”

“I’m sorry, love,” Leon whispers. “I didn’t mean to be such an ass today. I thought the zipline would be exciting, then Raihan’s my best mate and all.”

You nod.

“You’re right, I’m sorry too,” you whisper. “I didn’t mean to be selfish. It’s probably really exciting for you to see him.”

“It is,” he sighs. “I’m glad you’re okay though. And I’m still so proud of you for working hard in your battle.”

Your only response is how you curl closer to Leon and settle into sleep. Your mind is starting to haze as you gently mull over your simple conversation, and one word that Leon said to you pushes to the forefront of your mind.

Then your eyes snap open.

What did he call you?

You poke Leon’s cheek, but he just lets out a snore in response.

You bite back a grin, and once again fall asleep to the steady thrum of Leon’s heart.


	15. Chapter 15

It’s raining tonight.

The soft patter is like a melody in your ears, the sound gently tapping against your eardrums just as it coats everything outside like a watercolor paintbrush. Light snoring fills the room too, as it can only be maybe three in the morning, maybe four. You’re not sure why you woke up, but you gaze out the window as sleep evades you.

The view from your window is mainly sky, though the line of trees that mark the forest entrance add a blurry line in the distance. A few of the taller buildings on the ground level of the trading station are coated in an opaque navy, thanks to the night rain. It’s poetic, in a way; you wonder if anyone else is awake, gazing out their cabin window just like you are. You wonder what their view is like. Your cabin is hugging the cliffside, but there are a few other cabins that dapple the rocks above yours, even some that sit at the top of the cliff. You breathe out in solidarity with whoever else may still be awake, and you wonder what brought them to this trading station too.

It’s been so long that you’ve been out here in the Wild Area. More than a few days… weeks maybe? Has it been a month by now? Has it been _months_ by now? You’re not quite sure. It’s been long enough to catch four Pokémon, but that’s not really a good measurement of time, since there was quite a gap between your first and second catch, then your second and third catch. Will you have a full team of six by the time you leave the Wild Area?

The moon shimmers every so often between the whispering gray of the rainclouds, as if it’s sleepily blinking at you. You purse your lips.

 _Will_ you leave the Wild Area?

Eventually, sure, but will you leave as soon as the migration ends? Will Leon leave as soon as the migration ends?

You breathe out a hum at the thought. It had never really crossed your mind, at least not so peacefully. Now that you and Leon have made amends and you know more about his identity, the idea isn’t so daunting. If you know he’ll let you come visit, then maybe staying out here without him for a while longer won’t be so bad since it won’t be the last time you see him. You’re much more capable at surviving in the wild than you were when you first met, so you wonder how long you’d manage out here without him.

When the moon winks at you again, another thought crosses your mind.

Do you _want_ to be here without him?

You’re not sure if that thought shifted something in the air, but both Leon and Growlithe start to stir. Leon groggily turns to you, unconsciously curls his arms around you, buries his face in your neck, then lets out a deep sigh in his sleep. Growlithe actually stands from his spot at the foot of your bunk, crawls over the other Pokémon snuggled against you, and settles down again beside your head. You wriggle your arm out from Leon’s grasp and gently stroke through the fur on his head, and he nuzzles into the touch.

“What do you think?” you whisper to Growlithe, and his brown eyes glint in the dark. He doesn’t make any vocal response, but you know he knew what you said. “We’ve been out here for a while. Does everyone want a break from training, or should we stay out longer?”

Growlithe lets out a deep sigh as well, settling back into sleep as you scratch behind his ears.

“You’ve gotten so strong,” you continue. “I can’t believe you already know Flare Blitz. Where did you learn that? Did Charizard teach you?”

He blinks slowly, then lets out a big yawn. You chuckle, give him another few pats, then let him go back to sleep. As the rain gently taps against the windowsill, you lazily think back to your battle with Milo and how well Growlithe performed. When you first met when he was level seven, he barely knew Ember. Now if he knows Flare Blitz, that means he’s at _least_ level fifty-six.

You blink.

That number repeats in your mind, overtaking every other semblance of thought.

Fifty-six.

Suddenly your heart jumps at the revelation.

He’s.

Growlithe is.

His level is.

Fifty-six.

_Fifty-six._

“Fifty-six,” you breathe aloud. “Level fifty-six.”

Growlithe lifts his head, grumpy that you’re making noise while he’s trying to sleep. You raise yourself up on your elbows as that number repeats in your head again.

“Growlithe,” you whisper. “You’re level fifty-six.”

He cocks an eyebrow, as if he’s not sure why this information is worthy of such disbelief.

“I’ve…” you continue in a daze. “I’ve trained you to level fifty-six. You were level seven when I caught you.”

He simply sets his head down and closes his eyes again, leaving you to gape in shock while he tries to sleep.

“I’m a Pokémon trainer,” you say to him, though now he is dutifully ignoring you in favor of sleeping. You shake him anyway. “Growlithe, I’m a Pokémon trainer and I trained you up almost fifty levels.”

You turn to look at the rest of your Pokémon - what level are they? You haven’t been paying much attention to their official levels, just training them and encouraging them in favor of looking for overarching growth.

“Minccino, what level are you?” you whisper, though she’s sound asleep.

Your heart is thumping in your chest, pattering just as the light rain is, and a smile blooms on your face.

You’re a Pokémon trainer.

Officially. You have been this entire time, technically, but it’s just now settling into every fiber of your being that you are what you’ve always wanted to be. The revelation washes over you just as the night rain does on the windowpane. The thought isn’t from a feat of blazing glory, and yet it settles in your bones just the same.

“I’m a Pokémon trainer,” you whisper to yourself, and you plop back down onto your pillow. Leon grunts at the motion, and you turn to him. “Leon, I’m a Pokémon trainer.”

“Yeah,” he grumbles as he buries his face into your neck again.

“Growlithe is level fifty-six.”

“Mmhmm,” he hums as he breathes out a deep sigh. “Good job, why are you up? Go back to sleep.”

“I wonder what level Minccino is.”

“I ‘unno.”

“And Munna and Pawniard. That Bisharp was real strong, I bet he trained all of the Pawniards up well before I caught him.”

“Maybe,” Leon yawns. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

“Do you think Charizard taught Growlithe Flare Blitz or do you think he learned it on his own?”

This time Leon doesn’t verbally respond, but instead lifts himself up higher on your pillows, curls his arms around you, and holds your head to his chest. The moment you try to speak again, your voice is muffled, and Leon pushes your face harder into the cloth of his shirt until you’re only making non-descript grunts.

“Shhh,” he mumbles groggily. “Go to sleep.”

You breathe out a chuckle and Leon loosens his hold, opting for gently rubbing sleepy circles on your back. His motions are jagged, as you’re sure he’s fading in and out of sleep.

“I’ll ask him tomorrow,” you think aloud. “I think he’s sleeping right now.”

“Prolly.”

“Do Minccino or Munna or Pawniard know any secret moves? They’ve all been working so hard lately, maybe we cou-”

Leon cups his hand over your mouth, effectively garbling your sentence.

“Shhh-shsh-shhh,” he shushes again. He presses a lazy kiss to your forehead, though since his eyes are closed, he only got your eyebrow. “Sleep time.”

You smile under his hand, then hesitantly press a gentle kiss to his palm. Leon shifts again, a smile on his lips as you both fade into sleep to the sound of the rain.

The next time you wake, it isn’t the rain that pulls you from sleep, but rather hissed whispers.

“Ugh, look at them.”

“Yeah.”

“Do they always sleep like this?”

“Yeah.”

“They’re like, crunched up next to each other. How do they breathe?”

“I don’t know. I think they’re used to sharing a tiny cot. They’re sweet.”

“Or stupid. There’s like, four other bunks in here.”

“You don’t think it’s romantic? Leon’s never acted like this with someone, at least not in the time that I’ve known him.”

“ _That’s_ what makes this _weird._ Who even is this guy, snuggling like some Dreepy on a Dragapult? His actual Dreepy isn’t even as coiled around anything as tightly as he is around her.”

“You’re just jealous he’s got someone else to pay attention to that isn’t you.”

“Rubbish. Not my fault my best mate goes missing for over a _month_ , then I find him googly-eyed at some random trainer at some random trading station.”

“I think Galar might have a new power couple, though.”

There’s a bark of a laugh.

“Yeah right, do you even _know_ Leon? He’s blessed I found him out here, since I highly doubt he knows what he’s doing. Every time he looks at those doe-eyes he forgets how to speak properly. I’ll be an old man by the time he figures out how to ask someone out.”

“Yeah, he gets a little fumbly... It’s endearing, at least. For the most part. Kinda possessive, too actually.”

“He asked me to help him out today. Lucky for him I’m the greatest wingman Galar has ever seen.”

“Can you guys keep it down?” Leon mutters. “Some of us are still sleeping.”

“Oi, you heard that?” Raihan asks.

“You suck at whispering, Raihan,” Leon mumbles as he starts to shift a bit beside you. “It’s like you were screaming in my ear.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Raihan chuckles. “You gonna get up anytime soon?”

“What’s it look like?” Leon hums, and you feel him curl more tightly around you.

You hear another sigh, then a light chuckle.

“You’re hopeless,” Raihan says. “Well, me and Milo are going to go for a run, you keep your hands to yourself in the meantime.”

You feel Leon lean over the side of the bed, you hear him whip something, then a yelp from Raihan.

“Hey, watch it!” Raihan hisses. “I need to start wearing iron shorts if this is how you act when you’re in-”

“Get out of here,” Leon hisses in return, and you hear what you think is a thunk of a shoe against the cabin wall, then Milo’s chuckle. “Go run.”

There’s a hissed expletive, the door closes, Leon pauses a second, then adjusts himself beside you. Your eyes are still closed, but it certainly feels like he’s watching you.

Maybe the feeling will go away.

…

…

It doesn’t.

Is Leon watching you sleep? That’s weird. It’s making your eyelids twitch. You want to squirm away from the feeling, as it’s much too tender for having just woken up. You settle for opening your eyes just to confirm that feeling was indeed Leon watching you.

“Mm,” you grunt. “What?”

“Did they wake you?” Leon asks gently as he brushes a hair from your cheek. “You can go back to sleep if you’d like.”

You bite back a yawn, nod, and close your eyes again.

Your skin pricks.

You peek again, just to see that Leon is still watching you.

“What?” you ask.

“What?”

You furrow your brow, then close your eyes to sleep again. It doesn’t last as long this time.

“What?” you ask again.

 _“What?”_ Leon laughs. “Why do you keep saying what?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I wasn’t staring at you.”

“Yes you were! I felt you staring at me.”

“Must’ve been a Ghost Pokémon.”

“Or it was you.”

“Debatable.”

“It’s literally not debatable, you are the only person in here and I caught you watching me _twice_.”

“Here, try closing your eyes again.”

“No, you’re just going to do something dumb.”

“I won’t, I’m never dumb.”

“Debatable.”

“Okay I’ll close _my_ eyes in a very not-dumb way.”

Leon closes his eyes.

“See?” he says. “Not watching you.”

“Whatever,” you chuckle, and you roll your eyes and reach to pet Growlithe who awoke thanks to your muffled laughter. There’s a lull in the noise of the room, and as you’re stroking through his fur, you again feel that familiar prick and you glance to see Leon is again watching you. When he opens his mouth again, whatever he’s about to say is drowned by the noise of the door slamming open.

“Raihan, you can’t just barge in!” Milo exclaims as he rushes in next. “They could be-”

“They’re not even sleeping,” Raihan retorts as he turns to you, a sweet smile on his face. “Just smushed together like before.”

Raihan kicks off his shoes and peels off his sweater, flinging it onto his bunk as Milo still stands in the doorway.

“I wasn’t going to say they might be sleeping,” Milo mutters as you and Leon start to stir.

“Didn’t run very far,” Leon says as your mind bashfully flicks back to the morning after the aphrodisiac-infused evening Milo is probably referring to.

“I think I pulled something after catching a certain someone who fell from a zipline, plus there’s a thousand people down there,” Raihan answers as he starts to peel off his shirt and Leon quickly shoves himself into your line of vision. “Apparently they’re getting ready for something tonight. Shouldn’t get in the way of our plans, though.”

You watch over Leon’s shoulder as Raihan offers you a discreet wink, and you furrow your brow in response. There’s the rustle of clothes, and Leon turns your chin from Raihan’s bare shoulders. Part of you spikes with frustration that Leon’s trying to decide where you can and cannot look, and yet another part of you (that part deep in your stomach) seems to pull at his behavior.

“Can you strip somewhere else, mate?” Leon snaps, but Raihan’s only response is the bark of a laugh.

Milo takes the more modest approach and heads off to the showers _before_ taking off most of his clothes, while Raihan’s words out the door are ‘like my posts aren’t all half-naked anyway.’ As the screen door slaps against the wood when it closes, Leon lets out the breath he was holding, only to suck it back in when he meets your raised brow.

“What?” he asks.

“What do you mean what,” you repeat. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“You acting like that!”

“Like what?”

“Turning my chin, blocking my view,” you scoff. “Can’t I look at your mate when he’s talking to me? Are you the only shirtless man I can look at?”

Leon’s arms around you stiffen as he tries to cough out a rebuttal. It doesn’t work very well, as he’s floundering for a few seconds before you cut him off.

“What were you going to say before they came in?” you ask. “What are these plans Raihan mentioned? Are we doing something today? Why’d you keep staring at me? Do you always watch me sleep?”

“I need to take a shower too,” Leon suddenly spits out.

He gracefully untangles himself from you and the blankets and the Pokémon around you, only to fall to the floor with a _thud_ when he slides off the bunk. Before you can get a word out, he’s gone, rushing to the showers in a haphazard mess of tangled hair and flushed cheeks.

You try to sigh, only to let out a chuckle as the door again creaks on its hinges after being thrown open. Yep, that’s the man you’re in love with. If he doesn’t spit it out soon, you may have to take matters into your own hands. You sit up, stretch, and offer Growlithe a pat on the head when he sits beside you.

You ponder about Leon and his feelings and your own feelings as you prepare for the day. Perhaps that’s what this ‘plan’ is – the signs are adding up, so perhaps Leon is just nervous. But, you don’t want to assume anything either, if that zipline yesterday was any example of how predictable the man is. You’re pretty sure Leon wants to confess that he’s in love with you too, but you need to hear it from his lips before you’ll know for sure. You’ll have to be patient with him if Milo and Raihan’s conversation this morning was any indication of how elegant Leon is in expressing his feelings… and if your entire journey with him thus far is any indication either.

Despite that rationale, you try to look a little nicer than you usually do just in case, though it’s not like you have a ton of supplies to really amp up your fanciness factor. You do the best you can to look the best you can, given the circumstances of living in the wild for a while. Your posture straightens when you hear footsteps coming up to your cabin.

“Hey!” comes a voice. “You gonna go to the migration?”

You turn, and the second you do, your heart starts pounding wildly in your chest. You unconsciously take inventory of your Pokémon and where the nearest exit as your mind flashes back to Rapidash-mounted security guards and green teeth. He couldn’t have followed you this far, could he? _Would_ he? Leon made fun of his retainer a couple times, but that doesn’t mean-

“You okay?” the person repeats. Your heart calms when you realize that this person’s teeth aren’t green, and they don’t have the same lazy drawl or glazed eyes like you thought they would.

“Sorry, what did you say?” you ask as you take in the toothy grin and the bright eyes before you. There’s suddenly a second set right above the first, with an identical smile and identical eyes to match.

“Famous migration caravan is going out tonight!” the person continues, and the identical man above nods vigorously. “Gonna be nice.”

“Gonna be _wicked_ ,” he grins, still nodding vigorously enough that his hair jiggles jovially. “You should come, it’ll be better than walking there.”

“The migration is _tonight?”_ you ask incredulously, and the twins nod.

“Oi, haven’t you seen all the Butterfree around?” one asks. “Yeah, it’s tonight!”

“A caravan would be nicer than walking,” you hum, and you bend down to pluck the flyer they slid under the door. “I’ll ask my friends what our plans are.”

“Wicked! Hope to see you there!”

The two leave as quickly as they came, bounding down the suspension bridge, then swinging down the pulleys like tree vines before disappearing out of sight. You chuckle when you notice a Plusle and Minum trailing behind them, as you deem them perfect Pokémon for the energetic twins that are stopping at each cabin door with their colorful flyers.

As your eyes scan the cabins, your gaze lands on your three friends making their way back from the showers. Your heart thumps at the sight of Leon, hair wet and smile shining as he jokes with Raihan about something. You square your shoulders and walk out of your cabin, eventually meeting them on one of the connected wooden platforms.

“Squeaky clean?” you ask casually, trying to discreetly watch Leon’s reaction to see if he also thinks you’re looking better than usual this morning.

“Yeah the showers were nice,” Raihan answers casually. “Leon said it would’ve been nicer if you were there, though.”

“I didn’t say that!” Leon immediately splutters, and your eyebrows raise at his exclamation. His eyes flick between a smirking Raihan and you. “I-I mean it _would_ have, but I didn’t say that out loud. Not that I would have!”

“Yeah he wants to shower with you, but too late for that,” Raihan continues as Leon spits out another excuse. “Why don’t you two head up the mountain a ways? You know there’s a nice spot with a willow tree.”

“Right now?” Leon hisses at Raihan. His eyes flick to you again, then back to Raihan as his voice quiets. You have to strain to hear his whisper. “I haven’t… I didn’t practice though...”

“Yep, right now,” Raihan continues, turning you and Leon by your shoulders and back down the deck. He adds something that was just for Leon, but your terrible habit of eavesdropping gets the better of you. “You gotta spit it out, mate.”

Without any room for protest, Raihan shoves you both towards the mountain path and you stumble as your feet adjust to the transition of wooden deck to rocky ground. Leon doesn’t look at you beyond offering you a sheepish grin as he guides you back to where you had his champion confession a few days ago. Every time you try to make conversation, Leon either mumbles too quietly or stutters out something incoherent, and you try not to be frustrated. His cheeks are tinged pink, and as he delicately curls his pinky around yours, you again decide to be patient with him. Your own heart starts thumping in your chest when you make it to the rock outcropping with the willow tree.

“Was this your plan for today?” you ask him, hoping that this time he’ll offer you a coherent answer. Leon nods, and you bite back your smile.

“Yeah, hope you don’t mind.”

You nod in return as Leon shifts between his two feet. He sucks in a breath, and suddenly grips your hands in his.

“I want to tell you something.”

“Yes?” you ask, offering his hands a gentle squeeze.

“I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while now,” he continues.

“Okay,” you encourage. “What is it?”

“Y-You,” Leon stutters. He swallows, then stares into your eyes again. “Y-You, um, my Applin has a pie.”

You blink.

“…What?”

 _“No!”_ you hear a hiss from behind the rock. “ _Damnit Leon, you’re the Applin of my eye!”_

You and Leon both glance to see Raihan quickly duck behind the rock.

“Raihan, mate, I like you but not like-”

You hear another grumble and Raihan comes storming out. He grips Leon by the shoulders and offers you a shiny smile.

“Would you excuse us for a moment?” Raihan asks stiffly through his teeth.

Before you have time to answer, he’s already pulling Leon behind the rock. You hear their muffled argument and you try not to let your laughter be obvious.

“Leon,” you hear Raihan say. “Dude. You have like, no game.”

“What’re you talking about, that was going great!”

“ _Great?!”_ Raihan hisses. “They must have changed the definition of _great_ since the last time I checked then, because that was absolute _rubbish_.”

“That wasn’t rubbish!” Leon hisses in return. “What, you think _you_ could do better?”

“Yes! Yes, I absolutely could! That line was corny as hell, _this_ is how you should-“

You hear the crunch of footsteps on gravel, then a melodic ‘ _hrnk!’_ from Raihan.

“ _Don’t_ go out there,” Leon hisses. “If you hit on her I’ll skin you alive.”

“Fine, but you need to get it together,” Raihan huffs. “Quit being terrible at this.”

“I’m not ter-”

“Why are you still talking to me? Go!”

Leon stumbles out from behind the rock and quickly stands straight.

“Raihan, uh,” Leon says stiffly. “Wanted me to look at something for him.”

“Yeah?” you reply, still choking down your laughter.

“Yeah,” Leon repeats, and he pulls at his collar. “He… he has a rash.”

You hear a smack from behind the rock, and you can only assume it was Raihan’s hand to his forehead. Leon turns to you again.

“Yes, real bad too,” he coughs. “Hives and peeling skin and everything.”

Suddenly there’s another smack from behind the rock, then a disgruntled yelp and a series of squeaks.

“Oi, get out of here!” comes Raihan’s hiss, then there’s a rustle of… paper? “I told you I don’t want your flyers, I’m not joining your parade!”

There’s a few more squeaks, then you see the flash of a Plusle and Minum skittering down the mountain path. Rushed footsteps follow, and suddenly those twins from earlier appear from around the rock.

“You got a rash, Raihan?” one grins.

“Gross,” the other says.

“Get out of here!” Raihan hisses in return as he crumples up the flyer and hurls it at them. “I already told you I’m not taking guest appearances in my livestreams!”

There’s a series of ‘aw!’s and ‘c’mon!’s and frustrated retorts, along with a few Pokémon squeaks. You decide to pull Raihan out of this misery, because these twins don’t seem like they’ll relent any time soon.

“Aren’t you two the ones that stopped by my cabin earlier?” you interrupt, and they immediately turn to you and nod.

“Yep, Mott and Scott, at your service!” one replies, standing proudly.

“Wait a second,” Leon says. “Mott and Scott? You’re the head guys of this station, yeah?”

They both nod again, just as their Plusle and Minum do.

“Well, head guy and head person, technically,” Scott corrects as he pats Mott on the back.

“You both actually look just like another bloke we met at another trading station,” Leon continues, and you agree. You knew it wasn’t just you, but if both Scott and Mott had green teeth you probably would have had a heart attack.

“You mean our idiot brother Wyatt?” Scott asks. He pulls out his phone and slumps his shoulders, and the thousand-yard stare is suddenly quite familiar. “Looks a bit like this? Goes by ‘Watt’ because he thinks it’s cool and not at all stupid?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Leon chuckles.

“You’re triplets then?” Raihan asks.

“Gosh Mr. Raihan,” Mott swoons in mock adoration. “You’re pretty _and_ smart. You figured that out right quick.”

As Raihan bickers with Mott, Scott turns to both you and Leon.

“If you’re all wanting to get to the migration on time, you’re welcome to come with a group of us,” he says. “We’re leaving soon, so we thought we’d round up everyone we could find who might be interested.”

“Thanks,” Leon says. “We’ll join you down there.”

Scott tugs on Mott’s arm, and as Raihan finishes his argument, Leon turns to you.

“I’ll tell you at the migration,” he says weakly. “Promise.”

You breathe out a sigh, doing your best to breathe out your disappointment at having to wait. If it’s for him though, you’ll be patient. You squeeze his hand and nod.

“Take all the time you need,” you say.

You follow Mott and Scott to the ground level of the trading station, and in the corner of your eye you see Raihan offer Leon a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.

There are a handful of groups milling about, chatting while their Pokémon play in the tufts of mountain grass surrounding the dirt plaza. You spot Milo near the entrance to the trading station with the cart and his Mudsdales, so you step up to meet him there.

“Are you coming to the migration?” you ask Milo, who shakes his head.

“No, I’ve got to restock the supplies we lost after the Bewear attack,” he says with a guilty shrug. “There’s quite a few Butterfree that go over Gramma and Papa’s house, so I won’t be missing out completely.”

You let out an ‘aww,’ along with your poutiest pout. All it does is make Milo feel guilty, so you quickly let him know that you’ll support whatever it is he needs to do. Raihan mentions that he’s going with Milo too, especially since he heard about the Bewear ambush and the rumors of a strange figure that seems to follow people. As Leon and Milo say their goodbyes and well-wishes, Raihan nudges your shoulder, and you follow him until you’re out of hearing range of the others.

You raise your eyebrow, but your tease quickly drops when you watch Raihan’s eyes flick to the side, and how he’s shifting between his two feet. After a few moments of silence, Raihan finally, hesitantly, sets his hand on your shoulder. His eyes flit between yours, he swallows, takes a breath, then lets out a weak laugh.

“Take care of him, yeah?”

Your eyebrows pull together, and Raihan inhales again.

“He’s my best mate,” Raihan says, his voice strained as if he were holding his breath. “I was the one he leaned on up until now.”

The crease in your brow deepens as you search Raihan’s eyes. It seems like they’re glistening over, but it’s the intensity in his gaze that strikes you the most.

“Raihan, I-” you start, but the look in his eyes stops the sentence in your throat.

“He’s a bit of a twit, but he has the best heart of anyone I know. He loves with everything he has,” Raihan continues. His hand on your shoulder is gentle, but in the corner of your eyes you can see how his other hand is digging his nails into his palm. “So… take good care of him. Treat him right.”

You search his eyes again, then after a few moments, you finally nod.

“I will,” you say. “I promise. I’ll love him and care for him with everything I have.”

After another breath, Raihan slowly retracts his hand from your shoulder to set it into his pocket. He plasters on a smile, that sharp canine glinting, as he takes another step back.

“Especially when I beat him next time we battle,” he says, cocking an eyebrow at you. “He’ll need some comfort then.”

You breathe out a laugh, just to ease the tension in Raihan’s shoulders, then you gently brush your hand over his arm.

“Raihan,” you say softly. “I can never replace you. He will still need you.”

Had you blinked, you would have missed how Raihan’s smile fell for half a second, how his brow barely creased. Had you not been listening closely, you would have missed the stutter at the beginning of his reply.

“I know,” he breathes, as if he were forcing the words from his lungs. “I know he’ll… he’ll always need me.”

“Good,” you say, and you give his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Because Leon can hold more than one person in his heart, and Arceus knows he’ll need someone else if he wants to go ziplining.”

Raihan’s plastered smile breaks, and what shines through is toothy and warm and genuine. There’s no witty rebuttal, no sarcastic smirk, just an unbridled smile that makes you smile too.

“Like I said,” Raihan chuckles. “A bit of a twit sometimes.”

“I promise to continue taking care of him if you do the same,” you say. You hold your hand out, and Raihan gratefully shakes it.

“Deal,” he says with that toothy grin. “You’re a little rough around the edges, but not half bad.”

You roll your eyes, then your heads turn when Milo calls from the cart.

“You almost ready?” he asks. “We’ve got some ground to cover tonight.”

“Yeah,” Raihan calls in return. He faces you again, that warm and honest smile still gracing his features. “Good chat. Swing by Hammerlocke when you’re done playing in the mud out here, yeah? I’ll give you the grand tour.”

“Sounds lovely,” you smile, and Raihan claps you on the shoulder again.

“Brilliant.”

You both rejoin Leon and Milo at the cart. As Leon and Raihan share their heartfelt goodbye, you turn to Milo next.

“Well, goodbye for now,” he says with a sweet smile, holding his arms out to you. You eagerly accept his hug, grateful for the new friend you’ve found in Milo. He steps back and offers you a shoulder pat as well. “You’ll have to stop by again before the Gym Challenge starts and things get busy, I’m sure Gramma and Papa would love to see you too.”

“I will,” you say sincerely. “Thank you for everything, Milo.”

“And the same for you,” he says. “I’m excited to see how you’ll continue to grow as a trainer. Let me know when the wedding is, too.”

“Milo!” you yelp as your cheeks heat with a blush.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” he laughs as you swat his arm. “Kind of. I’ll admit my heart stopped when Raihan barged in on you two this morning, wasn’t sure if you’d be wearing any-“

“ _Milo!”_ you screech again, and he laughs and lets out an ‘okay I’m done I’m done’ as you push him towards the cart. “I thought you had a lot of ground to cover, go on, get out of here.”

It seems Leon and Raihan just finished their conversation too, and you watch Leon discreetly rub his eyes with a sniffle as Raihan joins Milo on the cart. After another few goodbyes and waves, they finally set on their way back down the dirt path.

“I’m going to miss them,” you hum as you watch them disappear into the pines. “I know I only met Raihan yesterday, but we get along well, and we’ve been traveling with Milo for a while.”

“I know,” Leon says with a nod. “I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I saw them again, Raihan especially. I’ll definitely make a point to spend more time with them after the migration.”

You nod and head back to the dirt plaza of the trading station where the other trainers are gathering. There are a few carts here too, though they’re filled with people instead of supplies. This must be the caravan Mott and Scott were talking about, as you see them both bouncing around and in-between everything and everyone. You and Leon climb into a cart being pulled by two Bouffalant and take your seats.

“I’m excited,” Leon beams as the carts fill with people and smaller Pokémon. “All this traveling and we’re almost there.”

“I know, it’s so strange to think we decided this all the way back at the Wooper pond,” you say with a nod, scooching closer to Leon as more people climb into your cart.

You chat lightly as Mott and Scott ready the Pokémon for departure, and Leon’s arm that was hanging over the side has now made it loosely around your shoulders. You don’t mind much, nor does Leon seem to mind when you nestle against him just a little bit.

After everyone has settled, Mott and Scott offer a rousing speech about the migration that lasts all of fifteen seconds (but is just long enough to make everyone laugh), the cart tugs forward as you finally start the final leg of your journey to the migration.

A Plusle and Minum hop into your cart, just as the twins do once everything is moving along smoothly. They take the seats across from you, letting out satisfied hums at their successful takeoff.

“We’ve got a lot of people this year,” Mott says as they look down the line of carts and people and Pokémon. “I wasn’t sure we’d get as many with the Bewear making camp so close to our station.”

“Yeah,” Scott nods. “And then there’s that Murray bloke who’s been freaking people out the past few years.”

You were only lightly listening, but the second that name is mentioned your heart stops and your blood turns cold. You feel your face pale as you turn to them, and it seems Leon’s posture has stiffened too.

“Wh…what did you just say?” you ask quietly.

“’Bout ol’ Murray?” Scott repeats. You nod. “Oh yeah, he’s a bit of local folklore, actually.”

“He, she, it - no one is really sure,” Mott adds. “The story goes that he appears to trainers who he’s witnessed be kind to Pokémon. Not sure if he’s a Pokémon or spirit or guardian or whatever, but his tactics are strange. Some say he uses psychic abilities to warn people about danger while seeming dangerous himself.”

“Really?” Leon asks. “Because we’ve both met him.”

“Oh yeah?” Mott grins. “What’d he look like? Me an’ Scott have seen him too, but he looked different to both of us. I saw a short ugly old man with too many teeth,”

“But I saw a tall slender lady with a white dress and green hair,” Scott finishes. “A lot of rumors say he’s a Pokémon. Other people say he’s a spirit or a forest guardian and all that.”

“But then there was also that person that said he saved him in the Rolling Plains yeah?” Mott asks Scott with a furrowed brow. “Murray saved him from that Vespiquen, remember?”

Your heart drops again as your mind flickers back to the turf war so long ago. Slender figure… Green hair… Psychic abilities… Could Murray be…?

“Oh yeah,” Mott chuckles. “That’s right. Overall, kooky bloke.”

Your thoughts wander as Mott and Scott tell more tales about the mysterious Murray, and how Watt kicked a Dedenne once and woke up the next morning hanging from a pulley by his underwear. They offered Murray sticky toffee as thanks for finally getting their brother to move out. You glance behind you, almost expecting to see a foggy figure standing in the shadows of the trees. You don’t see anything beyond the regular rustle of bushes from wild Pokémon, and yet you offer a nod of solidarity anyway.

You’re traveling for a while, and the afternoon sun starts to sink as the carts and Bouffalant bumble along. You’re pulled from your thoughts when Leon bumps your shoulder.

“I’m excited to see my mum and Hop,” Leon says, and his sentence is nicely embellished with the wide grin on his face. “I think you’ll like them.”

“I’m excited to meet them,” you say earnestly, and that seems to make Leon’s smile grow.

“There’s a chance you’ll meet our neighbor, too,” Leon continues. “He’s a good kid, his name’s Victor. Him and Hop are best mates, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he tags along. He’s quiet, but there’s something about him that I really like. He’s kind and he pushes Hop to be his best self, and Hop does the same for him, though Hop’s tactics are always a bit more abrasive.”

“Sounds like an excellent and healthy friendship,” you say, and Leon heartily agrees.

Leon tells you more about Hop and Victor and his hometown, and you share with him stories of your own friends and family. It warms your insides when he tells you he can’t wait to meet your friends and family too, and you can’t stop your smile from blooming at the suggestion that Leon plans to stick with you for at least a while longer. When you start to hear the conversations around you starting to grow louder, you and Leon turn and follow where many people are pointing. Your eyes squint, then widen, and you gasp.

Fairy lights, lanterns, and glowing lamps glisten in the distance, twinkling yellow and turquoise and pink against the deep purple tents and banners that mark your destination. Excited sounds and gasps surround you as the others start to notice the sight, and even Leon seems to be bouncing in his seat. You grin at each other as your heart starts to pound, as now, what you’ve been traveling towards for so long is twinkling at the end of this dirt road.

Will you meet Leon’s family? Will he tell you he’s in love with you? Will you finally, finally, _finally_ kiss the man who saved your life that night of the storm? Will he stay with you? Will you continue your Wild Area training only with your team? Or, will you tangle together tonight, just as you have so many times, as Leon promises to never leave your side?

These questions swirl in your mind, just as the colorful ribbons of the tents do the closer you get to the Butterfree migration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀 oooo what will happen to our heroes??? find out next time in the _final chapter_ of DAPPLED GROVE


	16. Chapter 16

If you thought the trading stations were bustling, those were nothing compared to this festival. You’re not sure if this technically _is_ a festival, but there are people and food carts and twinkling lights, all bright and as lively as any festival you’ve ever attended. Leon has been darting through the crowds of people with you in tow, his smile glimmering like the strings of lights that drape from the deep purple tents.

“They’ve got to be around here somewhere,” Leon says as his eyes scan the faces around you.

You’re looking too, even though you’re not much help because you have no idea what Leon’s family looks like. It’s just his brother and mum, right? You picture a smaller Leon and a Leon without a beard. You make sure to keep a firm grip on Leon’s hand as you search the migration site, as you don’t want to lose him after finally reaching your destination. He’s suddenly pulling harder, quickening your trot to a jog as you push through.

“Hop! Mum!”

You and Leon break through the edge of the crowd and Leon takes off sprinting towards a tall, thick-trunked tree that’s overlooking the migration site. When your eyes follow where he’s headed, there’s no mistake that’s his family. Their smiles are all identical, big, and sparkling as Leon catapults himself into a group hug.

“Lee!” you hear his brother call, although his voice is muffled by Leon’s shirt. “I knew you’d come, I knew it! Didn’t I tell you he’d make it, mum?”

“Didn’t doubt it for a second,” you hear his mum chuckle as she hugs Leon in return. “It’s so good to see you’re actually alive.”

“Hey, have more faith in your son!” Leon says as his mum pats his cheek. “That’s the kind of greeting I get after being missing for over a month?”

“I knew you’d find your way eventually,” his mum chuckles. “You always do.”

You meet them at the top of the hill too and you spot another child standing beside Hop – that must be Victor – as the family catches up at a thousand words a minute. Hop is practically vibrating with excitement, and you can’t stop your smile at the fact that he’s exactly as Leon described. After a few minutes of his babbling, Leon’s mum clears her throat and glances to you.

“Leon, aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” she hums.

Leon immediately does as he’s told and introduces you to his family and family friend. He ushers you forward by the small of your back – a motion that used to make you blush, but now the touch is comforting as you meet so many new people all at once.

“It’s nice to meet you… um…” you start, and Leon’s mum immediately cuts you off.

“Oh, please just call me Mum,” she chuckles, and the implication of _that_ certainly does make you blush, but neither you nor Leon comment on it. Suddenly Hop turns and looks between you and Leon, then steps towards you and sticks out his hand with a toothy grin.

“And I’m Hop, Lee’s little brother and the next Champion of Galar!” he enthuses. “That’s my mate Victor over there. Nice to meet ya.”

“Hi, Hop, nice to meet you too,” you say as you shake his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have? I’m already famous, eh? Oh, wait, Lee, is this the girl from your letters?” Hop asks enthusiastically as he turns to Leon. Your gaze darts to Leon’s just in time to see his eyes widen.

“You wrote about me?” you ask. The tinge of red in his cheeks answers that question pretty quickly, though Leon won’t meet your gaze.

“Did I?” he squeaks. “I, uh, I don’t rememb-”

“Don’t remember?!” Hop scoffs. He turns to you and sets his hands on his hips. “Every time he sent one, half of it was about you! I always had to skim ‘em ‘cuz he kept going on and on about how pretty and clever you are and how much he likes you and he even said that-”

Hop’s sentence is cut short when Leon puts his hand over his mouth and pulls him away from you. After ruffling Hop’s hair, he forces a chuckle.

“Oh, Hop, you’re so funny, didn’t I tell you he was funny?” Leon grunts through his teeth. His next sentence is a harsh whisper when his eyes dart to his mum. _“I told you not to let him read those parts.”_

His mum gives a nonchalant shrug.

“You know how he is,” she chuckles. “Every time we got one, he’d tear it from my hands the second I opened the envelope.”

Hop’s still trying to speak through Leon’s fingers until he finally releases his hold, and Hop is back to a thousand words a minute.

“I love Pokémon, and Lee says you love Pokémon too!” Hop enthuses. “That’s how he knew that he liked you right away, said Charizard’s a good judge of character, said it helps that you’re the prettiest girl he’s ever met, too, but he never said what kind of Pokémon you had. Do you battle? Do you like battling? I don’t think Lee would like someone as much as you if you didn’t battle.”

Leon slaps his forehead, and you laugh again as the flaring red blush seeps over his cheeks and down his neck.

“I do like battling,” you chuckle. “Do you like battling, Hop? I hear you have a strong Wooloo.”

Hop beams at you, then looks between you and Leon.

“Sure do!” Hop enthuses. “He only knows Tackle and Defense Curl right now, but I’ll train him proper once I’m old enough. Me and my best mate Victor here are gonna get an endorsement from Lee and do the Gym Challenge this year, right Lee?”

At the sound of Hop’s question, Leon’s embarrassment shifts into an air of pride as he crosses his arms.

“If you and Victor can prove that you’re worthy of an endorsement, first,” Leon says as he raises an eyebrow. “The Champion of Galar can’t just go around handing out endorsements to _everyone._ Don’t want to be accused of nepotism and all that.”

You chuckle when Hop groans out a ‘you always say that’ and Leon ruffles his hair again.

“How about I tell you about how I almost died via Frillish?” Leon asks suddenly, as if Hop were an excitable puppy and every movement increased his energy.

“Oh, wicked!” Hop enthuses, and Victor nods excitedly as well.

You chuckle again at the fact that Leon knows his brother pretty well, and Leon delves into the tale. You wonder how he’ll spin the story, as he’s already showing off the wiry maroon scars on his calf from the Frillish sting. You feel a light bump of your shoulder, and you turn to see Leon’s mum smiling at you.

“I see you’ve taken good care of my son,” she says quietly, and you blink a few times at her comment. “Thank you.”

The gears in your brain clunk as Leon’s mum smiles at you, then you finally come to your senses and splutter out a response.

“Oh, yes, of course! He was actually the one that’s taken care of me,” you say as your cheeks flush. “He saved my life, so I promised I’d help him navigate here.”

“He’s an enthusiastic person, both of my sons are,” she continues as she gestures towards Leon regaling your travels to the starry-eyed Hop and Victor. “But I haven’t seen him this relaxed and genuinely happy in a long time.”

“Oh,” you say, since you’re not quite sure what else to say. “Really?”

“Mmhmm,” she continues. “He’s a hardworking man and a perfectionist to boot, but I don’t sense a single bit of tension in him right now, even after being lost for so long. I believe I have you to thank for that.”

You awkwardly wave off her compliment again, and Leon’s mum chuckles at the blush that’s creeping into your cheeks at her praise. It’s then that Leon glances over, his own face flushed with excitement. His smile is so warm, so tender, and the fact that you know his mum is watching you both watch each other just makes that blush flare hotter in your face.

“Oh yeah,” his mum tuts again with a shake of her head. “I’d say he was rather tame in his letters compared to how he sees you in real life. You’ll have to share your side of these stories when you come visit. Now, why don’t you all see what this place has to offer?”

Without any time for processing, she’s ushering you along to join Leon, Hop, and Victor to enjoy the festival as she scouts out a good spot for watching the migration. Hop snatches the pocket cash from her hand and is immediately pulling you all along to play those cheesy carnival games, and although Hop is pulling on Victor and Leon’s arms, Leon makes sure to pull you along by your hand.

The sun steadily lowers on the horizon as you entertain yourselves with the booths around you. Although Victor hardly says a word throughout it, he’s rather good at most of the games, but Leon is even better. He even wins a stuffed Butterfree, which he promptly hands to you. You roll your eyes in response, but when he offers to give it to Hop or Victor instead, you quickly hug it to your chest.

As the evening continues, it seems that Leon is trying a little too hard at these festival booths, winning tickets for Hop and Victor to spend as they choose. You’re not sure if it’s just because he doesn’t like to lose, but whenever he cheekily meets your eye before winning yet another game, something tells you it’s not the booth attendants he’s trying to impress.

“C’mon, you have to play one too!” Hop urges as he tugs you towards the next stall. “You haven’t won any yet.”

“Well thanks for reminding everyone,” you chuckle as you reach the counter. All you have to do at this one is hurl a fake Poké Ball at some Miltank milk bottles, and if you knock them all down you win. You eye a shiny Butterfree plush hanging at the back of the booth, and as you hug your own Butterfree plush in your other arm, you figure it would be nice for this plush to have a friend. Perhaps that plush Butterfree friend could even be carried by Leon.

Yeah, you like that thought, so you pay the booth attendant and hurl your first Poké Ball. You miss… by a lot. You miss again, but before you have time to huff in exasperation, you feel Leon step up behind you.

“Would you like another lesson in Poké Ball throwing?” he hums. His proximity is making the hair on your neck stand on end, and yet you roll your eyes at the bravado he’s showcasing from winning a few carnival games.

“Oh, would you please?” you chuckle, and you raise your eyebrows when you feel Leon’s hands brush your hips.

“Yeah you gotta hold your arm like this!” Hop interrupts as he abruptly pushes Leon aside. “I’ve practiced throwing Poké Balls a thousand times, you gotta do it just like this.”

You watch Hop pretend to throw the ball to knock down the pins at the back of the game stall, and you do just as he did. You laugh at Leon’s pout as Hop babbles at you about proper Poké Ball-throwing techniques.

“You could aim a little lower, too,” Victor adds.

With a dramatic wind up, you toss the ball just as Hop and Victor instructed, successfully knocking down all the bottles. The boys cheer beside you, and you point to the shiny Butterfree plush that’s hanging at the back. The booth attendant hands it to you, and you promptly turn to Leon.

“Should I give this to you or to Hop and Victor?” you ponder aloud as you hold the Butterfree plush in front of you. “They did give me some good advice. I don’t think I could have won without them.”

Hop’s smile lights up at your praise, but before he has the chance to speak, Leon snatches the plush from your hands and out of reach from Hop.

“I was merely giving them the opportunity to showcase leadership skills,” Leon pouts. “So, I think because of that I should be awarded with this Butterfree. Plus, I gave you mine earlier, so really this is the only fair exchange.”

“No fair!” Hop cries.

“I can win you one, Hop,” Victor chimes.

“Oh yeah?” Hop grins, suddenly distracted from his older brother’s thievery of this shiny Butterfree plush. “I bet I can win _you_ one!”

And with that the two boys are off, racing to the most challenging-looking game booth they can find. Before you have time to tease Leon about him snatching this toy from a child just so he can have a matching Butterfree plush with you, he’s grabbing your hand and pulling you along to follow Hop and Victor. You and Leon sit out the rest of the games, content to watch Hop and Victor earn their own tickets and prizes. You both follow along a few steps behind, and Leon’s hand seems comfortable at the small of your back as you meander through the crowd.

“I can give it to Hop if you’d like,” Leon mutters after a while, gesturing with the Butterfree plush he’s been carrying. “I kind of took it without thinking.”

“No, that’s okay,” you quickly reply. “I wanted you to have it, actually.”

Leon raises his eyebrows at your comment, which you quickly try to cover.

“S-so he can win his own, is what I meant!” you stutter out. “Not that I wanted us to like… match.”

“No, no, this is good,” Leon blurts in return. “I… I like that we’re matching. This is another way to remember our time together.”

You gaze into his eyes, to his anxious smile, and to the Butterfree plushes you’re both unconsciously hugging close.

“Yeah…” you say quietly as a bashful smile blooms on your face. “Yeah I think so too.” 

“Alright everyone,” you hear from behind you. You all turn to see Leon and Hop’s mum making her way through the crowd. “I found a good spot, and they’re starting to turn off the lights. Let’s get up to the hill so we don’t miss the migration.”

“I’ll be the first one there!” Hop calls, and he’s immediately sprinting away with Victor hot on his heels. You and Leon motion to follow, only for his mum to nudge you in a different direction.

“Why don’t you two find a different spot?” she hums. “Might be crowded with five of us up there.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Leon asks. “Because if we squeeze we could all fi-”

“Sure I’m sure,” she smiles, handing Leon a blanket. “You take your friend here to a spot just for the two of you up on that hill over there. You’ve both done your time; I’ll watch Hop and Victor for the night.”

Without any room for argument, Leon’s mum is off in the crowd and Leon turns to you with a sheepish smile.

“We’re all a little headstrong,” he says as he fumbles with the blanket in his arms. “There’s no use arguing with my mum, so I guess we should go find a spot before they turn off all the lights.”

You nod and follow Leon to the location his mum suggested. It’s a peaceful spot without too many other people around, and you have a good view of the sky and Wild Area beyond. Leon unfurls the blanket, and as you both make yourselves comfortable, you realize now why those tents were that deep purple color – it’s the exact color of the sky. There are glints of white and lavender stars speckled throughout the sky, doming over you without a cloud to be seen. Slowly the lights from the booths down the hill are flicking off one by one, until the only lights you can see are the brief flashes of phones as people find their places to sit.

There’s a hushed anticipation washing over the hills of the Giant’s Seat, shrouding each person just as the darkness does. Soon all you can see is the night sky above you, the speckled stars, and Leon beside you, who’s scooching closer ‘just to keep you warm,’ he quickly defends.

The hum of quiet conversations from people down the hill eagerly swirl in the air as you all wait for the migration to start. You contentedly gaze at the sky, unfocused until Leon clears his throat.

“You can rest on me if you’d like,” he says quietly, and although it’s awfully dark, you smile at the blush that’s staining his cheeks. “Once the Butterfree come. Or, I mean now too, if you want.”

You respond by simply pressing against his chest enough for him to flop against the ground with a startled grunt, where you comfortably nestle against him as you lay on the hill, staring at the sky.

“Comfortable?” you ask as you pop your head up to glance at Leon.

“Yes! Yes,” he coughs out. He gently lowers your head back onto his chest. “Yup, I’m good.”

You smile again at the thundering of his heart, which you can hear quite clearly as you rest your head on his chest. You make small conversation as you wait for the migration, and it isn’t long before Leon’s responses turn into simple hums.

“Are you falling asleep?” you ask incredulously. Leon quickly lifts his head.

“What? No, no,” he says, though he doesn’t do a good job of covering his yawn. “I’m just… this is comfortable.”

“Maybe we should sit up,” you chuckle as you lift yourself to a sitting position. You laugh again at Leon’s pout and puppy-dog eyes, staring up at you from the ground. “Don’t look at me like that! We can’t fall asleep now that we’ve made it this far. I thought you’ve been waiting forever to see the migration?”

“I know, I have,” Leon mumbles as he sits up as well. “But… it’s not so pressing now that I’ve seen something more beautiful than any migration.”

Your heart pounds at the implication, but before you have time to respond, a child yells out.

“There they are!”

You whip your heads towards the horizon, scanning the sky for any semblance of color. All you can spy are the stars, but it only takes a few minutes before you realize that those stars are more than just stars.

The specks of color scatter across the sky, glinting gold, pink, turquoise and green, all sparkling from the wings of migrating Butterfree. At first it’s only a dozen that are leading the charge, but as the minutes pass, it’s a few dozen, then a hundred, then you lose count of the Butterfree that fly over the hills in waves of glittering wings and sparkling pollen, filling the sky like lanterns of neon lights. The pinks and yellows and turquoises float around you, covering the earth and sky alike until the horizon blends and the only thing you know is color. There are specks of deep purple throughout and between the Butterfree wings, as if the night sky is winking at you from between the colorful pollen puffs. There are laughing and excited calls from around you, and when you turn to Leon, you find that he isn’t watching the sky, but rather watching you.

“It’s beautiful,” you say quietly, noticing how his eyes shine like the golden pollen that floats around his head.

“So beautiful,” he whispers in return, though he makes no motion to look at the sky. He’s staring into your eyes, deep and intense, and you wonder if the color of your cheeks is the same pink as the multicolored lights above you. “So, so beautiful.”

His attention flicks to behind your head, and his eyes widen. You turn to follow his gaze, only to gasp when you see a pair of turquoise wings outshine the rest. A Gigantimax Butterfree is flying over the others, its turquoise and silver wings glistening like the moon. Trails of glitter flow behind it as it follows the rest of the Butterfree like rivers of shooting stars.

“I’ve never seen a Gigantimax Butterfree so close,” you whisper, watching as the blue hues shift like a gradient, turquoise sunset. “That’s one thing we didn’t do, was visit a max lair.”

“I think we had our fair share of danger,” Leon chuckles as he inches closer. “Maybe we can visit one the next time we get lost in the Wild Area.”

Perhaps it’s the power emanating from the Gigantimax Butterfree above you, or perhaps it’s the beauty of the glittering colors around you, but Leon is inching closer, gaining enough confidence to wrap his pinky around yours.

You watch the Butterfree for a while, watch how the petals of light drift over the grasses and trees of the Wild Area. You feel Leon’s eyes on you, but every time you turn your gaze, so does he. Every few minutes though, he inches closer until he fully intertwines his finger with yours. You jump when he clears his throat.

“Worth the trip, huh?” Leon says.

“Yes,” you say. “I’m glad we didn’t drop you off at Motostoke way back when.”

“Yeah, me too,” Leon chuckles, gently giving your hand a squeeze. “I’m glad I got to see this… with you.”

You inch closer as well, biting your lip as Leon’s thumb brushes over yours.

“We’ve been through a lot,” Leon murmurs quietly. “Been out here for some time.”

You meet his gaze, hooded and glinting golden in the light of the glowing lights around you. His eyes flick to your lips, and you didn’t realize until now that you’re both leaning forward inch by inch.

“Yeah,” you whisper as you draw closer. “I’ve learned a lot too, a lot from you.”

You can feel Leon’s heat radiating in the air around you as you whisper your way through this conversation. His eyes are lidded, framed by dark eyelashes that barely flutter as his gaze flicks around your face, then lingers again on your lips.

You subconsciously bite your bottom lip and it seems Leon stops breathing for a second.

“Yeah,” he whispers, though there’s barely any breath in his word. “I’m glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you too,” you whisper, but you’re not sure Leon is really listening to what you’re saying. He’s getting a little fuzzy the closer he leans.

“What was your favorite part?” he asks.

“You.”

“Yeah,” Leon breathes, not hesitating for a second. “You’re my favorite part too.”

You don’t respond, but instead stare into his eyes. They’re dark, lidded, yet glinting golden as the Butterfree’s turquoise, pink, and yellow pollen drift around you like a neon summer snow. Leon gently untangles his hand from yours, raises it to your cheek, softly angles your chin towards him.

“I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now,” he breathes, and you barely nod in response.

It’s an inch every second, another degree of heat every moment, as he leans closer. The lights still frame his head, until all you can see is Leon and the backdrop of color surrounding you. You’re not sure if it’s his hand trembling or if that’s you, but either way you lean in just as he does.

The pink lights framing his head are nothing compared to the soft pink of his lips, nor do the golden lights around you compare to the gold in his eyes.

Another inch closer, and his breath is whispering over your face. The tension in you spiking as his lips brush your cheek, then the corner of your mouth, and you hold your breath just waiting, waiting, waiting.

Then his lips graze yours barely, just enough to make your heart stop.

And then, in a single moment, Leon finally presses his lips against yours.

It’s barely a touch, the most cautious thing you’ve ever felt, and even so,

It’s like the world stops spinning.

His kiss is cautious, soft, sweet, and it only takes a moment before he breaks off.

You both lean back a fraction, processing what you’ve finally done after wanting it for so long. The lights are framing his head, and the glow of the multicolored pollen is drifting around you. Even with the shimmering lights and Butterfree and stars above you, Leon is still the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

When you say nothing, Leon’s brow furrows and he slowly retracts his hand from your face.

“I,” he starts. “Sorry, was that oka-”

You quickly close the distance and capture his lips in another kiss. This one isn’t nearly as hesitant as the first, and it only takes you a moment to figure out how to move your lips in tandem. Leon is leaning into you, putting just enough pressure on your chest that you fall from your elbows into the grass. His weight on you is comforting, the grass around you is cradling you like a cloud, and Leon’s kisses are warmer and sweeter than you could have imagined.

“Definitely okay,” you whisper, and Leon eagerly leans in for another kiss.

The way he kisses you is akin to how sparks fly, how lightning strikes, how firewood cracks. It reminds you of how water feels lapping at your ankles, how laughter feels in your lungs, how comfortably the moon hangs in the sky. It’s stirring something in you, making it flutter like the neon Butterfree above your head as he kisses you again and again and again. His kiss is as natural as breathing, as natural as the heart that beats in your chest, as Leon melts against you. He’s pressing you into the grass, tangling your legs and your fingers and everything he can manage to be as close to you as possible.

He tastes like sunshine and pine trees and home, like tinny canteens of water and the tart bite of lemonade. His lips are soft and plush and a little chapped from the wind, but you pay it no mind. He feels like sunburn and calloused hands and cheeks that hurt from laughing, and when he finally breaks off to hazily meet your gaze, he’s again like a painting, textured and deep and perfect, yet so, so _alive._

It’s when he whispers his next sentence that you realize that Leon is the most real thing you’ve ever known.

“I love you,” he breathes, as if those three words had been swirling in his lungs since the moment he found you in the storm.

“I love you too,” you whisper in return, and now your kisses are turning into simply bumping your lips together, as neither of you can contain your smiles or your laughter.

“I love you,” he whispers again. “I love you.”

“I love you too Leon,” you repeat, and those words seem to pull him into another kiss.

“I love you,” he mumbles again, kissing you like he had to make up for all the times he wanted to. “I love you so much. I’ve never loved anything like I love you.”

You try to respond, but Leon doesn’t give you much room to speak when he kisses you deeply. You pull on his hair just a bit, and you try not to chuckle when he lets slip a moan, then kisses you harder.

“Do that again,” he breathes, and you eagerly oblige because you certainly like the way Leon kisses you after that.

“Oi!” you hear suddenly, and Leon quickly breaks off. “We’re tryin’ to watch the show, can you two snog somewhere else?”

You grin when you realize it’s Gramma Tut who’s yelling at you from against a tree a few yards away, and Papa Put offers a friendly wave.

“What’re you watching us for?” Leon calls back. “You’ve got your husband right there!”

“Aye, right you are, sweet cheeks!”

You don’t risk looking over again, but you do hear a strange slurping noise. You and Leon share a grimace, but whatever comment you’re about to make is interrupted by his lips on yours again. He kisses you again, and again and again, until the only thing you’re feeling and thinking and tasting is Leon Leon _Leon._

“I love you,” he whispers against your lips.

“How many times are you going to say that?” you chuckle, leaning forward to kiss him again. “Not that I mind.”

“As many times as I wanted to, but never did,” Leon whispers. “Have to make up for all of that time.”

You trade soft words and soft kisses as the pollen drifts around you until your lips are raw and your cheeks hurt from smiling. After a while you settle against Leon’s chest, hands intertwined as you gaze up at the sky. As the neon pollen drifts around you, Leon steals a kiss every so often. You try to tell him to watch the migration, since that’s something he’s wanted to see his entire life, yet he responds with another kiss saying he can just watch the documentary of it later.

You’re not sure how long the migration lasts – minutes? Hours? Just like this entire journey, time doesn’t mean much as you hold Leon, and as Leon holds you. You trade kisses, both of you failing at being discreet in your desire for more – more touch, more contact, more love, as your lips and fingers and skin brush here on the hill of the Giant’s Seat. You also didn’t realize you had dozed off until Leon is gently waking you with a kiss, still soft and cautious, although you’ve traded plenty since your first.

“I should check in with my family,” he whispers, and you groggily nod as you come to your senses. There’s the bustle of people and blankets, and you realize that there are no longer Butterfree in the sky, but there is plenty of glowing pollen coating the ground. It’s like you’re kicking through airy snow as you head towards the hill Leon’s mum, Hop, and Victor were sitting on.

Both the boys are sleepy too, swaying lightly as they rub at their eyes and pick the cotton-like colors off their clothes. Leon turns to you, his smile gone and eyes worried.

“Well, I guess this is goodby-”

“Leon,” his mum interrupts. “Could I talk to you for a second?”

Leon barely makes it to her before you hear a muffled _pomph_ and Leon’s grunt.

“What was that for?!” Leon hisses as he rubs at his arm.

“Are you daft?” his mum hisses in return. You try not to listen, but your habit of eavesdropping again triumphs over your tactfulness. “What’re you doing, saying goodbye to her?!”

“What?” Leon huffs. “Don’t you want me to come back with you and Hop?”

“Not if that means you’re leaving her after a night like this! Did you even tell her you’re head over heels?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Leon huffs.

“What kind of a goodbye is that, then?! ‘Well I guess this is goodbye!’ Absolute rubbish,” his mum spits. “I raised you better than that.”

“ _Mum_ ,” Leon huffs. “Stop yelling! I’ll stay here tonight.”

“Good, I don’t want to see you anywhere near my house until at _least_ tomorrow, understood?”

“Fine, fine,” Leon says, and you breathe out a sigh when he chuckles. “I’ll at least ask if it’s fine with her.”

When Leon turns, so do you, and you’re not sure if he knew you were listening in on his conversation. You’re torn from your thoughts when you hear the quick pat off grassy footsteps behind you, and you turn just in time for Leon to cup your jaw and kiss you deeply. You squeak at the surprise, and just as your eyes flutter closed, Leon breaks off.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“I-” you start. “What?”

“My mum told me to ask you that.”

You blink a few times, then shake the warm fuzz from your head.

“What? Your mum wants to sleep with me?”

“No,” Leon huffs. “I do. Er, stay with you, at least.”

He proves his statement by kissing you again.

“H-hold on,” you stutter as you lean back. “What?”

“She told me she’d smack me into next week if I left without you. So uh, yeah. I love you and I want to stay with you at least one more night before I go home.”

“That’s probably got to be either the most romantic or least romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” you chuckle. Leon smiles warmly at the sound.

“And maybe tomorrow you can come back with me for a little bit?” Leon asks. “We’ve got a guest bedroom, and my mum wants you to at least have dinner with us. It might be nice to take a break, what do you think?”

“Oh,” you say. “Your mum wants me to, but do _you_ want me-”

Leon cuts you off with another kiss.

“Yes, please come back with me,” Leon says between his kisses. “I don’t think I’m ready to be away from you yet.”

He kisses you one more time before breaking off.

“Yes,” you say. “One more night out here at least.”

“And then tomorrow night I’m sure I can persuade Hop to stay at Victor’s house,” he says quietly. He glances around, then leans in. His breath is hot on your ear as he whispers. “So, then you can stay in my room and we’ll have the house to ourselves.”

It seems like Leon may not be referencing sleeping, but you don’t think about that long when you hear Hop shouting for his brother.

“I should probably say bye to my family though,” Leon says as he looks back to the groups of people waiting near the incoming gaggle of Corviknight cabs. “You should too. It seems you’ve won over Hop already.”

You and Leon say goodbye to his family with hugs for both Leon and you, despite your surprise. With a final wave as the three climb into the Corviknight cab, you discreetly hear Hop ask why Leon isn’t coming back with them. Just as the Pokémon starts to flap its wings, you hear Leon’s mum’s faint ‘I’ll tell you when you’re older.’

After most of the crowds leave and the tents and lights are torn down, the only evidence of the migration is the golden, turquoise, and pink pollen still glowing over the hills like snow. You set up your tent beside the mighty tree you met Leon’s family under, as it’s the perfect spot with the sparkling pollen around you and the stars above you.

You had let all of your Pokémon out to stretch their legs, and they’re all giddily romping in the glowing lights as you and Leon stand gazing over the colorful hills. You’re the only ones here now that the migration is over, but the lights still glimmer as if they had just drifted from the Glimwood Tangle itself.

“You finally said it,” you hum after a while as you lean against the tree trunk overlooking the Wild Area. “If you didn’t tell me today, I would have told you that I was in love with you.”

“I kind of thought it would be obvious,” Leon says with a shrug. “I mean, this wasn’t even the first time we kissed.”

It’s like you can see the buffer wheel slowly tacking around in a circle in front of you.

You’ve… what?

You’re pretty sure you would have remembered kissing Leon.

“We have?”

“Yes,” he says as he stands straight and searches your eyes. “That day at the lake, after that I thought it was clear what I thought about you!”

The lake? What lake? The only lake you’ve been to with him was when-

Wait.

“Leon, that was CPR!” you nearly shout. “That wasn’t a kiss!”

“It felt like a kiss!” he huffs in return. He finally meets your eye, and there’s a definite red that’s tingeing his cheeks. You wonder what the hell kind of kisses he’s had in the past if that’s what he thinks a kiss is.

“Just because we put our mouths together doesn’t mean we kissed,” you groan. “I was doing that to save your life, not to _kiss_ you.”

“I know _that,_ ” Leon says as he crosses his arms over his chest. “I just thought it could be both, like a two-in-one type of thing.”

“A two-in-one type of thing?” you repeat incredulously. “Have you ever even been kissed before today? Do you even know what a kiss is like?! Because it definitely isn’t li-”

Leon cuts your sentence short when he grips your jaw and presses his lips against yours. You breathe out a soft squeak as your eyelids flutter, and Leon quickly pulls back.

“There. It’s like that,” he says with a curt nod. “I know how to kiss.”

You clear your throat. Or try to, at least.

“Y-you,” you breathe. Your word was a little squeaky too. “Th-that,”

Leon huffs again, apparently frustrated by how long it’s taking you to calculate if that was a kiss or not. He seems eager to prove it again though, because he pushes you against the tree, cups your face, and presses his lips against yours. This time it’s a little harder, a little more desperate, and you breathe a shaky breath when he breaks off.

“How about that?” he says again.

You’re a little dazed, a little fuzzy, and that strange pull in your stomach seems to be the end of the magnet, where the other magnet is Leon. He’s still leaning over you, pressing his body against yours, his elbow set over your head, his other hand tilting your chin up.

“Nope,” you whisper breathlessly. You probably shouldn’t use his competitiveness like this, but you can’t help but breathe your response. “You may need to try again. Maybe a little longer just to be sure.”

He purses his lips in frustration and does indeed try again. It’s just as hard, tinged with hunger, as he parts your lips to kiss you deeper. He pulls a soft moan from your throat, and he kisses you harder because of it. It’s longer, hungrier, deeper, as your bodies curve against each other. You’re not sure if he’s trying to show off as he tangles his fingers into your hair and sets his knee between your thighs. You almost whimper at the feeling but you don’t quite want to give him the satisfaction. You’re trying to ground yourself on something, though your only focus is on Leon’s lips and his hands and how desperately he’s latched to you. He notices your squirming, how your hands splay over his chest, and he leans closer. You weave your fingers through his hair, pause, then pull just a little bit, and smirk when Leon’s breath hitches, and he kisses you harder.

You’re not sure how long he’s trying to prove himself, though your lips are a little raw by the time he pulls away. His chest is rising and falling beneath your fingers, and you rest your head against the tree trunk.

“There,” he whispers. You’re relieved to see you’re not the only one breathless. “I told you I knew what I was doing.”

You nod.

“Yep,” you breathe dizzily. “That was a kiss.”

Leon grins devilishly and trails kisses from your lips to your cheek to your neck. That glint of hunger melts into something soft as he shakes his head with a laugh.

“I love it when you blush.”

That comment makes you squirm just as much as when he shoved you against this tree.

“I think I’d like to make you blush again,” he hums into your skin.

“Oh, you do, do you?” you manage out as he slowly trails kisses up your throat.

“Mhmm.”

Leon’s hum reverberates against your skin, and you try not to giggle. His desperate and hungry hands have cooled and slowed, and his fingers are barely touching you as he slides them under the hem of your shirt, all the while pressing soft kisses to your skin.

He lifts his head and stares into your eyes, and that pull in your stomach is unbearable because of how intensely he’s looking at you. You can’t prove him right though, so you try to stare back, but that lidded golden gaze is boring straight into your soul. He leans his head in, and you wait, trying to hold your breath, as his gaze flits from your eyes to your lips.

He leans in another inch, then pauses. You lean in, only for him to lean back with a smirk.

“ _Leon,_ ” you whisper in frustration.

“Yes?”

He kisses your cheek, the corner of your mouth, then barely grazes his lips over yours. Your nerves are tingling as if lighting is about to strike as he hovers so close to a kiss.

“Kiss me,” you whisper.

“In a minute,” he hums. “I like that look on your face.”

If he was trying to make you blush again, then it definitely worked, because heat is flaring in every bit of your face, your ears, down your neck, in your entire body, really. He presses soft kisses to your forehead, your temple, your nose, the corner of your mouth, all the while delicately trailing his fingers up your side. The ghost of his touch makes you shiver, makes you frustrated at how easily he affects you.

After an eternity of his gentle touches, his gentle kisses, he finally presses his lips against yours again. It’s delicate, soft, slow, and you’re not sure which type affected you more – that desperate hunger, or this lackadaisical softness.

He breaks off and rests his forehead against yours.

“Was that enough proof that I know how to kiss?” he hums smugly.

You nod as you bashfully stare at the ground. You curl your pinky around his, pull him by the hand back into the tent, and he proves it to you again, and then a few more times after that.

As the moon rises high in the sky, you and Leon are comfortably curled around each other, tangled in arms and legs and hair and soft smiles. The tent is in a bit of a disarray thanks to your eventful evening of Leon showing you that he knows how to kiss, and you’re now lying on the floor in a heap of blankets and each other. There’s a tear in the tent siding from when Charizard ripped through it, seeing as you were both a bit busy and forgot your Pokémon were outside. You returned them all to their Poké Balls, then returned to your activities without a moment’s hesitation. Your hip kind of hurts from when you both fell off the cot, and you’ve got a couple new bruises. Leon does too, to be fair, as you’ve found a persuasion tactic that’s a little more effective than back rubs, and you just might have tested it a few times down the line of his neck… and chest…and stomach… and a few other places.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while, you know,” Leon whispers as he curls you closer.

“Me too,” you hum.

“Ever since seeing you at that pond after your fever,” he whispers again. He presses a light kiss to your cheek and continues his sentence against your skin. “I decided right then that I wanted to kiss you.”

“Yeah?” you mumble. Your eyes are closed so you can better appreciate the feeling of him wrapped around you. He gently kisses your cheek, your jaw, your neck, and hums a response.

“Yeah,” he says, and his breath tickles. “And then again when I first heard you laugh, and also when we watched the Chinchous, and also when we were stargazing, and don’t even get me started on those rubbish berries.”

“Wow,” you say with a chuckle. “You sure wanted to kiss me a lot of times.”

He sighs, and you giggle at the feeling. You stroke through his hair, relishing in how he melts against your touch.

“You know,” Leon mutters. “I saved some of those berr-”

“One thing at a time, Leon.”

“Right yes of course,” he says quickly, and you chuckle.

You sleepily curl your arms around him, nuzzling your face into the crook of his neck. He’s rubbing gentle circles into your back, pressing feather-light kisses to the top of your head.

“Leon?” you whisper.

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

Leon breathes out a sigh, tinged with a groan, and he pulls you even closer than before. He’s curling his legs and arms around you, squeezing you to his chest, and hiding his face in your hair. You have a feeling he’s blushing wildly at your soft words, despite the furious making-out you’ve just completed.

“I love you too,” he whispers.

Those are the words you’ve traded so many times tonight, and it’s the perfect ending to the perfect night as you fall asleep in each other’s arms. It barely feels like a moment before the sun is glinting through the tear in the tent siding, warming you just as Leon is.

He’s breathing out soft snores, and when you press a gentle kiss to his forehead, his eyes flutter open.

“Do you want to watch the sunrise with me?” you ask.

Leon nods, and you untangle yourselves enough to step out into the dewy morning. You let your Pokémon out of their Poké Balls, and after a few frustrated nips at your legs and fingers and having been so rudely sent away last night, they’re stretching and embracing the fresh air just as you and Leon do.

As the dawn breaks over the horizon, a dewy pink coats the entirety of the Wild Area like a watercolor brush. Leon lets out a yawn as he comes up behind you, curls his arms around your waist, and sets his head on your shoulder to look over the landscape as well.

“What’re you thinking?” he hums gently as he gives you a squeeze.

“At first I thought almost dying in that storm was the worst thing to ever happen to me,” you say quietly. “But now, I think it’s one of the best.”

“Yeah?” Leon says, prodding you along down this train of thought.

“Yeah,” you say as you reach up to stroke through a lock of his hair. “Because I got to meet you and have the greatest adventure I’ve ever had. I got to meet my Pokémon and learn what it means to be a trainer, learn what it means to be a friend.”

“Me too, I’m glad I got lost that day,” Leon says. “Well, month. Months? I’m still not really sure what day it is.”

You chuckle at that, and again when Dreepy curls into your sweater pocket.

“I’ve learned a lot too,” Leon continues. “I’ll be going back to the same job with the same expectations, but I’ll be able to handle everything better now.”

He quietly leans down to press a kiss to your cheek.

“I plan to prioritize better,” he continues. “I’ll be an excellent champion, friend, brother, son, and boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” you ask jokingly. “And whose boyfriend might you be?”

“Yours,” he hums. “I’m your boyfriend now, whether you like it or not. No more hesitancy.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” you chuckle, and you give his hand a squeeze. “Champion Leon’s my boyfriend. I like the sound of that.”

“Just Leon,” he corrects quietly. “Just Leon is fine.”

“Right,” you say warmly in return. “Just Leon, my love, the man who saved my life, my work of art, is my boyfriend.”

“Oooh, yeah, I like that instead,” Leon laughs. “I’d much rather go by that title.”

You chuckle and joke for a while as the sun rises, and eventually all of your Pokémon are sitting at your feet, on your shoulders, or in your pockets. Even Charizard has laid beside you as you all gaze over the expanse of the Wild Area. As your and Leon’s conversation quiets, a few thoughts brush over you just as the sun does over the horizon.

You started with nothing but a backpack and a desire to prove yourself. You were tossed into the wild with the final words from civilization being,

_You won’t make it a week._

_You won’t be able to catch anything, let alone win any battles._

_You really think you can do this?_

_No one will accept you._

_You are going to fail._

_You are going to die._

As the sun rises, as you gaze out over the entirety of the Wild Area, as your Pokémon play around your feet, and as Leon leans in to press a kiss to your cheek, your musings drift pleasantly through your mind:

Chasing this dream was dangerous and stupid and so incredibly worthwhile, and something you’d never change for the world. Without the storms and the scars and the failures to guide you, you would have forever stayed mediocre and dull and only dreaming of what life could be like. But now, because of the cracks and the pressure of this adventure, you’re shining as brightly as the sun, as brightly as the eyes of your Pokémon, and as brightly as the pearl that still sits in your pocket.

_The_ End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well gee this experimental writing piece turned into a 130K word story that took 6 months to write, would ya look at that!! Thanks for tagging along with me, and thanks so much for reading!! I so genuinely appreciated each and every comment, kudos, subscription, and view. It was fascinating to flex my BRAIN MUSCLES when thinking about what dark elements could be in the Pokémon world, and how to make the imagery come alive through senses & writing a reader-insert for the first time! I’d say this experiment was a success. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the comments section on future stories 😏🥰🤗– missusk
> 
> (ps: if you liked this fic, let me know why you liked it! Why did you sit through 130k words and 16 chapters of fumbling bumbling himbo content? Was it the characterization? Was is the descriptions? Was it the writing? Did you connect with Reader? I’d love to know so I can best capitalize on what I did best, and continue to improve my writing. Thank you so much for reading!!)


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